Nicholas J. Ganjei United States Attorney for the Southern District of Texas | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A 41-year-old Mexican citizen, Noe Gonzalez-Martinez, has been sentenced to life in prison plus 60 months after being convicted of multiple charges, including conspiracy to murder and trafficking. Gonzalez-Martinez, known as Tocayo, was a leader within the Cartel Del Noreste (CDN). His conviction resulted from a three-day trial where a federal jury found him guilty of several offenses, such as conspiracy to distribute cocaine and murder-for-hire.
U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos announced the sentence, underscoring Gonzalez-Martinez's leadership role in the crimes. "Drug trafficking and violence go hand-in-hand, and this is particularly true in the case of cartels, as this case shows," stated U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. He emphasized that the actions of the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) are significant in curbing the CDN cartel's activities.
Daniel C. Comeaux of the DEA noted, "This case is a testament that the DEA is definite in its fight against these foreign terrorist drug trafficking organizations." This stance was echoed by ICE-HSI's Craig Larrabee, who said, “This brazen scheme planned out by CDN is a direct threat to the safety and stability of South Texas."
The trial revealed that Gonzalez-Martinez orchestrated a kidnapping and murder plot in 2021, involving cartel members crossing into Laredo. Law enforcement agencies, including the DEA, ICE-HSI, and Laredo Police Department, successfully thwarted the plan, capturing Gonzalez-Martinez and his accomplices, who have also received significant prison sentences.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose Angel Moreno and Steven Chamberlin prosecuted the case, which is part of Operation Take Back America, aiming to dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
Gonzalez-Martinez awaits transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
