A Dallas auto mechanic, Jose Cruz Badillo-Rivera, was sentenced on April 14 to 87 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, according to U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Badillo-Rivera, age 50, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine. The sentencing took place before U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant III.
Court records show that Badillo-Rivera was identified during an ongoing drug trafficking investigation in January 2020 as a distributor involved in multi-kilogram methamphetamine transactions at his Dallas automotive shop.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. According to the announcement, "The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad." The task force focuses on interagency collaboration targeting crimes committed by these organizations and places special emphasis on prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Johnson prosecuted the matter.
