A San Benito resident, Salvador Cortez-Nava, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy. U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced the sentence following Cortez-Nava's guilty plea on August 24, 2023. The sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera presided over the case and ordered the forfeiture of assets obtained through drug proceeds. During the hearing, evidence was presented showing that Cortez-Nava had ordered the kidnapping of a co-conspirator and issued threats over lost drug shipments.

Hamdani stated, "The Mexican Gulf Cartel is one of Mexico's oldest criminal syndicates, engaging in drug trafficking, violence, human smuggling, and more." He added that Cortez-Nava's actions demonstrated his allegiance to the cartel by coordinating cocaine distribution and employing ruthless tactics.

Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) highlighted the success of a multi-agency task force that uncovered over $1.5 million in drug proceeds and seized more than 150 kilograms of cocaine. "This amount of poison has no place in our country," Larrabee said.

Daniel C. Comeaux, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA's Houston Division, emphasized their efforts to dismantle Cortez-Nava's network: "Regardless of the rank or level of sophistication used to traffic drugs and money, the DEA has always been able to disassemble these structures."

Cortez-Nava played a significant role in importing cocaine from Mexico into multiple U.S. cities such as Rio Grande Valley, North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Florida, and Indiana. His organization used sophisticated methods like vehicles with hidden compartments at ports of entry for smuggling operations.

The investigation revealed several narcotics and cash seizures between 2016 and 2020 linked to Cortez-Nava’s orders. These included substantial amounts of cocaine and drug proceeds concealed within vehicles.

As part of his guilty plea agreement, Cortez-Nava agreed to forfeit properties, a vehicle, firearms, jewelry, watches, and other items.

He remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.

The operation was conducted by HSI and DEA as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative with support from local law enforcement agencies including Brownsville Police Department and Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oscar Ponce and Zachary Blackmon prosecuted this case.