McALLEN, Texas - Two men have been ordered to federal prison following their convictions in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Jesus A. Villarreal, 58, of Sullivan City, and Juan Cristobal Hernandez, 39, of Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico, pleaded guilty Feb. 6, 2017.
Today, U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa ordered Villarreal and Hernandez to each serve 92 months, respectively. Villarreal will serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term. Not a U.S. citizen, Hernandez is expected to face deportation proceedings following his sentence.
Both admitted they conspired to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. As part of their guilty pleas, each admitted to assisting with coordinating the trafficking of 108 kilograms of cocaine from McAllen to Houston from April 2 to April 9, 2015. Both were also held responsible for a total of 134 kilograms of cocaine as the court considered another narcotics seizure in which both men were involved.
Both men have been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Rolando Martinez Jr., 33, of Rio Grande City, is also charged in the case. He is considered a fugitive and a warrant remains outstanding for his arrest. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) at 1-956-992-8400 or Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) at 1-866-347-2423.
The DEA and HSI conducted the investigation dubbed Operation Killing Time with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety and task force officers from police departments in San Juan, McAllen, Palmview, Weslaco and Mission. Assistant U.S. Attorney Juan F. Alanis is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
