An individual from Mexico has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for drug trafficking offenses in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Luis Emmanuel Quevedo-Vasquez, age 30, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. On January 22, 2026, U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone handed down a sentence of 168 months in federal prison.
Court records show that on April 2, 2024, Quevedo-Vasquez and Carmen Guadalupe Diaz, age 26 and from Georgia, were stopped by law enforcement in Nacogdoches County for a traffic violation. During the stop, officers observed an open container of alcohol and conducted a search of the vehicle. The search led to the discovery of over a kilogram of methamphetamine, nearly two kilograms of cocaine, almost a kilogram of heroin, and two firearms. Authorities determined that Quevedo-Vasquez and Diaz were transporting these drugs from Texas to Wisconsin.
Diaz admitted during the investigation that she regularly smuggled both people and narcotics. She stated she was being paid $20,000 to transport the intercepted load. On January 15, 2026, Diaz also received a sentence of 168 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America. According to officials: "This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime."
The investigation involved the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald S. Carter prosecuted the case.
