A Mexican national, previously deported twice, has been sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for drug trafficking offenses in the Eastern District of Texas. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Jose Mercedes Saucedo-Guerrero, aged 34 and residing illegally in Longview, received his sentence from U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on June 23, 2025.
Court documents revealed that on May 2, 2024, Saucedo-Guerrero was stopped for a traffic violation in Kilgore. During the stop, officers used a K9 unit to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle, which indicated the presence of a controlled substance. A subsequent search uncovered 2,972 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside the vehicle. Further investigation showed that Saucedo-Guerrero was unlawfully present in the United States after being prosecuted and deported twice for immigration-related crimes.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The operation combines resources from the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The investigation involved several agencies including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Gregg County Sheriff's Office, and the Kilgore Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek led the prosecution.
