A leader of the Texas Chicano Brotherhood Gang leader was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking and firearms violation.
Tony "Klownman" Torres, 53, of Harlingen, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and was found in possession of a firearm, according to a Jan. 11 U.S. Department of Homeland Security news release.
“Gangs like the Texas Chicano Brotherhood often rely on trafficking deadly narcotics to fund their operations and other illicit criminal activities," Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations Corpus Christi and Victoria Mario Trevino said in the release. "By working alongside our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to disrupt their drug trafficking operations, we are able to keep these deadly poisons from destroying countless lives and prevent the gang from raising the criminal proceeds that they need to reign terror on our local communities.”
According to the release, he was sentenced in the Southern District of Texas by the U.S. District Court to 10 years in prison, to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. On Nov. 8, 2022, Torres admitted to the charges.
The investigation was conducted by HSI Victoria, with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Starr County District Attorney's Office; the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office; and the Texas Office of the Attorney General, according to the news release.
