In a recent development, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) announced last month the conviction of Gilberto Almaraz-Muniz, a Mexican national residing in the Brownsville area. Almaraz-Muniz was found guilty of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute narcotics after recruiting others to smuggle cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl into the United States. The jury deliberated for three hours before delivering their verdict following a five-day trial.
Almaraz-Muniz is set to be sentenced on July 17 for four charges: one count of conspiracy and three counts of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. He faces a potential life sentence and a fine that could reach $10 million. Currently in custody, he will remain so until his transfer to a US Bureau of Prisons facility. Prior to his arrest, Almaraz-Muniz served as a law enforcement official in Mexico.
"This case removed over 100 kilograms off our streets," said Hamdani. "My office will continue to prosecute not only those individuals caught transporting dangerous drugs but also those that provide and involve others in the illicit drug trade," Hamdani stated in an April 29 news release announcing Almaraz-Muniz's conviction.
However, Almarez-Muniz was not alone in this case. Pedro Venegas Jr., 24, from Brownsville, Texas, was arrested on March 10, 2022, following a narcotics seizure in Klegberg County. On that day, authorities noticed tampering within his truck’s engine which led them to discover the internal workings of the engine had been modified to conceal narcotics; they found 23 bundles of cocaine, heroin and fentanyl hidden inside.
According to DEA reports on Almaraz-Muniz's conviction, Venegas was recruited by Jetzrael Saldana, another Brownsville resident aged 25. Saldana's role was to recruit drivers to transport truckloads of narcotics past immigration checkpoints for distribution in Houston and other communities. Once Saldana had recruited the drivers, Almaraz-Muniz would then have the vehicles titled in the driver’s names.
Both Venegas and Saldana pled guilty, with Venegas admitting his guilt on June 1, 2022, and Saldana on July 26, 2023. Sentencing hearings for Venegas and Saldana were set for May 1 and May 8 respectively, as per the DEA news release.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA with assistance from the South Texas Narcotics Task Force in Kingsville and Homeland Security. Assistant US Attorneys Oscar Ponce and Victoria Aranda are prosecuting the case, according to the DEA news release.
