U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans | U.S. Department of Justice
Hector Omar Segura-Lara and Joseantonio Ortega-Silva, both residents of Dallas, Texas, have been sentenced for their involvement in a cocaine distribution and possession conspiracy. United States District Judge Susie E. Morgan handed down the sentences on November 19, 2024. Segura-Lara received a sentence of 108 months imprisonment, while Ortega-Silva was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment. Both had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
The charges stem from an incident on August 25, 2021, when Louisiana State Troopers stopped a Chrysler 200 near milepost 56 on Interstate 12. The vehicle was occupied by Segura-Lara and Ortega-Silva, who provided conflicting answers about their travel plans. A consensual search of the car revealed four kilograms of cocaine hidden in an additional car battery under the hood.
Ortega-Silva admitted that he obtained the vehicle in Dallas at another individual's request and drove it to Houston, where it was loaded with drugs. The pair were instructed to deliver the drugs to Virginia and return with $152,000 in cash concealed in the car's battery.
For their roles in the conspiracy, both men faced potential penalties of up to twenty years imprisonment and fines up to $1 million. They were also sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 each.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police. Assistant United States Attorney André Jones from the Narcotics Unit is handling the prosecution.
