Six Mission, Texas Residents Plead Guilty To Participating In Drug Trafficking And Money Laundering Scheme

Webp 9edited

Six Mission, Texas Residents Plead Guilty To Participating In Drug Trafficking And Money Laundering Scheme

The following press release was published by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration on Jan. 23, 2017. It is reproduced in full below.

SAN ANTONIO - Today, six more individuals pleaded guilty to their roles in a drug trafficking and money

laundering conspiracy occurring in South Texas, Central Texas and Oklahoma announced United States

Attorney Richard L. Durbin, Jr., Western District of Texas; United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson,

Southern District of Texas; Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge William

Cotter, San Antonio Division; and, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Joseph M.

Arabit, Houston Division.

Appearing before United States District Judge Xavier Rodriguez this afternoon, the following defendants

pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering: 47-year-old Norma Leticia Villarreal-(*two

counts); 36-year-old Iza Corina Flores-Alanis; 24-year-old Juan Antonio Villarreal; 57-year-old Jose Luis

Villarreal-(aka “El Cosas"); 47-year-old Nancy Isela Villarreal-Gonzalez; and, 27-year-old Gilberto

Villarreal-Villarreal.

By pleading guilty, the defendants admittedly conspired since January 2000 to: (1) engage in financial

transactions using proceeds derived from the importation, receiving, concealment, buying, and/or selling of

cocaine; (2), transport or transmit monetary instruments to locations outside of the United States in an effort

to conceal the source, ownership and control of proceeds derived from unlawful activity.

The defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison for the money laundering conspiracy charge. Sentencing is

scheduled for May 24, 2017.

To date, 12 defendants have entered guilty pleas resulting from this investigation. Four defendants-45-year-old

Reymundo Villarreal-(aka “Mundo"); 37-year-old Jesus Jaime Andrade of Mission; 66-year-old Sergio

Guadalupe Adame-Ochoa of McAllen, TX; and, Gilberto Villarreal-(aka “Beto", “Betito")--remain under

indictment in this case. Gilberto Villarreal-Arelis remains a fugitive. Jury selection and trial is set for March

13, 2017.

An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are

presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

This investigation was conducted by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation Waco Treasury Task

Force comprised of IRS-CI, Irving Police Department, Woodway Police Department, Texas Department of

Public Safety and the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office together with the Drug Enforcement Administration’s

McAllen, San Antonio and Houston field offices and Homeland Security Investigations.

Source: United States Drug Enforcement Administration

More News