FARGO - A man who prosecutors say imported drugs from Mexico into the Red River Valley and ordered the murder of an East Grand Forks, Minn., drug dealer has been sentenced to 40 years in prison.

Jorge Arandas, known as the ringleader of a drug conspiracy that federal authorities called Operation Speed Racer, had pleaded guilty to 13 federal counts. He faced the possibility of a life sentence.

"He made a decision early on that he did not want to take the case to trial," defense attorney Steven Mottinger said after Friday's hearing. "He decided to take responsibility for what he was involved in."

Authorities said Arandas was linked to a major Mexican drug cartel that helped move hundreds of pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana into North Dakota and other states. His cooperation has led to further arrests and guilty pleas, prosecutors said.

Mottinger could not argue for a lighter sentence because the 40-year term was a negotiated agreement with prosecutors.

"Mr. Arandas did the one thing that he could do in this case to lessen his sentence. He provided complete, thorough and truthful information to law enforcement to help significantly in the prosecution of others," U.S. Attorney Drew Wrigley said after the hearing.

"Coming from the top guy, that's obviously critical information," he said.

Inside the courtroom, Mottinger said Arandas, whose nickname is "Sneaky," is a good man who made bad choices. Investigators and prosecutors described Arandas as witty and charismatic, Wrigley said.

"In court we heard about many positive personal characteristics on the part of Mr. Arandas," Wrigley said. "I don't quarrel with that, because also we heard about the fact that nothing erased the personal choices that Mr. Arandas made."

Prosecutors said Arandas had ties to the Arellano Felix cartel based in Tijuana, Mexico. The leader of the cartel, Francisco Javier Arellano Felix, was sentenced in a San Diego federal court in November to life in prison.

More than 60 people have pleaded guilty in Operation Speed Racer, which Wrigley called one of the largest drug cases in the region. No defendants have gone to trial.

Arandas was one of five men charged in the 2005 killing of Lee Avila, who was shot several times inside an East Grand Forks home while he was baby-sitting two young children. Gabriel Martinez, Martin Carrillo, Michael Petzold and Alan Wessels are awaiting sentencing for their roles in Avila's killing.

Martinez, the gunman, entered a guilty plea without an agreement with prosecutors. His lawyers said Martinez did not want to point fingers at others.

"That's impressive talk," Wrigley said. "It's the intention of the United States that he serve the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole."