A Houston man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy and possession of machine guns related to drug crimes, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Kendal Alejandro Monzon Jr., 25, admitted guilt on April 18 for his role as a member of the Partidos Revolucionarios Mexicanos (PRM), a group identified by authorities as a violent prison gang involved in large-scale drug operations. U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge handed down the sentence, which also includes five years of supervised release following imprisonment.
During sentencing, the court reviewed evidence linking Monzon to multi-kilogram seizures of heroin and fentanyl at the Laredo port of entry, cocaine in Brownsville, heroin in Livingston, and cash proceeds connected to drug activity in Brownsville and Atlanta. Additional seizures associated with PRM were reported in Houston; Chicago; and St. Louis.
“The defendant was a key player in a nationwide drug trafficking operation, but now he’ll be spending the next four decades in federal prison. A similarly lengthy sentence awaits others that seek to make a quick buck by smuggling drugs into our country,” said Ganjei. “The message this sentence sends is clear: don’t spread your poison in our communities, because if you do, the Southern District of Texas will make sure that you pay the price.”
Jonathan C. Pullen, Special Agent in Charge for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Houston Division, stated: “Monzon, who is part of a violent prison gang, was using our southern Texas border to smuggle a significant amount of dangerous drugs throughout the country more than a decade ago. The Houston Division DEA agents halted his drug trafficking activities, which impacted the thriving operations of PRM within the U.S. Today's hefty sentence serves as a reminder of the punishment that awaits those who bring poison to our country.”
Law enforcement attempted to stop Monzon on Nov. 24, 2020 after observing traffic violations near his home. He fled at high speed through residential areas before crashing into a law enforcement vehicle. Officers found approximately 17 kilograms of methamphetamine packaged inside plastic-wrapped cylinders during their search.
Further investigation led authorities to additional seizures tied to Monzon involving cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, cash proceeds from illegal activity, prescription bottles containing Promethazine with Codeine—a substance sometimes abused recreationally—various weapons including fully automatic firearms with silencers attached or altered mechanisms making them fully automatic; one weapon had been stolen from law enforcement personnel.
A subsequent search warrant executed at Monzon’s residence resulted in recovery of 47 kilograms of methamphetamine along with other controlled substances such as heroin and marijuana.
Monzon remains detained pending transfer to an appropriate Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The case was investigated under an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation led by DEA with support from local agencies including Houston Police Department and Harris County Sheriff’s Office. OCDETF uses coordinated efforts among federal and local law enforcement agencies targeting major criminal organizations threatening national security through complex investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Laurence Goldman and Christine Lu prosecuted this case.
