GUILTY PLEA - SAMANTHA LONGORIA
On April 13, Samantha Longoria, 25, plead guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Longoria sent the proceeds from drug transactions to Mexico via wire remittance transfers. For each transfer Longoria completed she was paid a fee. When she arrested in late September, law enforcement found receipts for money transfers in her residence she shared with a coconspirator. From May 14-18, Longoria completed 79 transactions totaling $70,000. Longoria now faces up to 20 years in federal prison for her crimes. The DEA conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kull is prosecuting the case.
SENTENCING - Yotzer Harin Peraza-Navarro
On April 13, Yotzer Harin Peraza-Navarro, 32, was sentenced to 210 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Peraza-Navarro was pulled over by law enforcement for a traffic violation and placed under arrest for having an active warrant. When law enforcement searched Peraza-Navarro’s vehicle, they located $26,419, a pistol, and methamphetamine. Peraza-Navarro later admitted to transporting 25 pounds of methamphetamine and one kilogram of heroin. The DEA, HSI, Lubbock Sheriff’s Office, and Lubbock Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long prosecuted the case.
SENTENCING - JORGE BENITEZ
On April 13, Jorge Benitez, 21, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle that Benitez occupied. Officers searched the vehicle and located marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin, $4,715 in drug proceeds, and a firearm. The DEA conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachael Jones prosecuted the case.
GUILTY PLEA - GERARDO JIMENEZ
On April 15, Gerardo Jimenez, 43, plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Jimenez utilized a storage building on his property to store large quantities of illegal narcotics. In May 2020, an undercover officer came to his residence and purchased an “eight ball" of cocaine. When law enforcement executed a search warrant of the residence, they located kilograms of methamphetamine, marijuana plants, and ten firearms. Jimenez now faces up to life in federal prison for his crimes. The DEA conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Phelesa Guy is prosecuting the case.
GUILTY PLEA - PERRY HILSON
On April 13, Perry Hilson, 42, plead guilty to possessing contraband in prison. On July 27, 2018, Perry Hilson, a prisoner at FCI Seagoville, spoke with Deshea Hilson and instructed her to smuggle narcotics to him during their visit the following day. When Deshea arrived in the visitation room, she went to the vending machines and purchased a bag of chips. She later excused herself to the restroom and retrieved several balloons of methamphetamine from her person and placed them in the chip bags. When she returned to the visitation room, Perry then pretended to eat the chips, but attempted to ingest the methamphetamine. Perry Hilson now faces up to 20 years in federal prison for his crimes. Assistant U.S. Attorney Damien Diggs is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
