TOPEKA — Two men who were part of a drug- trafficking operation that sold methamphetamine in Great Bend, Topeka and Kansas City, Kan., have pleaded guilty, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Thursday.

Adan Molina, 30, Great Bend, and Alfonso Rubio-Ayala, 27, Topeka, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Molina and Rubio-Ayala entered guilty pleas after three days of trial in U.S. District Court in Topeka. In their pleas, Molina and Rubio-Ayala admitted that in 2008 and 2009 they led a drug-trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine from Mexico through Arizona to Great Bend, Topeka and Kansas City, Kan. Both men admitted that Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized more than $690,000 in cash, 10 pounds of methamphetamine, firearms and vehicles when search warrants were served.

During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Molina was responsible for transporting the Mexican methamphetamine from Arizona to Kansas and that Rubio-Ayala was his equal partner in the organization. Additionally, Rubio-Ayala oversaw the daily distribution of drugs in Kansas City and Topeka. The organization used stash houses in Great Bend, Topeka and Kansas City to store and process the drugs.

Sentencing is set for Jan. 24, 2011. They face a sentence of not less than 10 years and not more than life, and a fine up to $4 million. Grissom commended the Drug Enforcement Administration, A.T.F., Kansas Highway Patrol, Topeka Police Department, Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office, Salina I-70/I-35 Taskforce, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Barton County Sheriff’s Office, Great Bend Police Department, Kansas City Police Department, Osage County Sheriff’s Office, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Greg Hough, Duston Slinkard and Randy Hendershot for their work on the case.