CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 33-year-old Alice resident has been ordered to federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 112 grams of meth, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Jose Francisco Arredondo aka Cocaine Pepe pleaded guilty Aug. 19.
Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered him to serve a 151-month sentence to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that detailed Arredondo’s life of crime and how he terrorized the Alice and Jim Wells County community - 28 arrests and was one of the main sources of meth, cocaine, steroids and more in Alice. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ramos noted Arredondo was consistently arrested multiple times with guns and drugs and that previous jail sentences did not seem to dissuade him from criminality.
On April 9, law enforcement arrived at a local hotel in response to a potential disturbance. They soon observed a vehicle with its lights on and engine running. Arredondo was driving. As they approached, they immediately noticed a firearm in the center console. Knowing he was a convicted felon, authorities conducted a thorough search of the vehicle.
They ultimately uncovered over $11,000 as well as four bags of narcotics, one with 112 grams of meth, two containing a total of 56 grams of cocaine and another with 13 grams of marijuana. Law enforcement also discovered a digital scale, many lottery tickets, and a defaced firearm.
Arredondo will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Office and the Alice Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Marin prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
