A 56-year-old man from Mission, Texas, has been sentenced to prison for drug trafficking while under federal supervision. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Salvador Noyola entered a guilty plea on May 3, 2024. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Noyola to 188 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. As part of the sentence, an additional 18 months were included due to the violation of his previous supervised release terms. During sentencing, Judge Crane advised Noyola: “You’ve got to get out of this business… I hope that you will find another way to make money.”

Noyola was arrested in December 2023 after authorities conducted a search at his residence and seized over a kilogram of powdered cocaine.

He will remain in custody until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.

This case stems from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation involving multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Texas Department of Public Safety - Criminal Investigations Division. They received assistance from the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office and police departments in Mission and Alton.

The OCDETF program aims to identify and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach led by prosecutors. More information about OCDETF can be found on the Department of Justice’s website.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roberto Lopez Jr., Lance Watt, and Brittany Jensen are handling the prosecution.