A 52-year-old Mexican national living in Laredo was sentenced on May 7 for his role in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than $1 million worth of cocaine, according to Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.
Luis Manuel Castillo Garcia pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2025, to conspiring with others to organize and transport cocaine from Laredo to other locations across the United States, as well as being found illegally residing in the country after removal. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana ordered Garcia to serve 135 months in federal prison for conspiracy and an additional 120 months for illegal reentry. As he is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected again to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
The court reviewed evidence of Garcia’s criminal history, which included prior convictions for drug possession and illegal reentry after removal. Evidence also showed that Garcia coordinated shipments of cocaine from Mexico and participated in transporting large quantities over an extended period.
In March 2025, authorities said Garcia recruited tractor-trailer drivers such as Luis Alonzo Pena Jr., who helped haul loads of cocaine stored at a local yard. Two trailers containing hidden compartments filled with cocaine were transported from Laredo at a rate of $9,000 per trailer arranged by Garcia; law enforcement seized both vehicles on March 4 and March 5, discovering a total of 50 kilograms of cocaine inside them.
Approximately two months later, law enforcement observed Garcia meeting Pena at another location in Laredo where Pena received a duffle bag containing approximately 18.5 kilograms of cocaine packaged into fifteen bundles during a traffic stop soon after the exchange took place. The total amount seized exceeded sixty-five kilograms with an estimated street value above one million dollars.
Pena was previously sentenced to fifty-six months in federal prison followed by three years supervised release; both men will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation with support from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Laredo Police Department, Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Enforcement and Removal Operations while Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Lou Castillo prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas focuses on prosecuting federal crimes—including cases like this one—and handling civil matters for the government through offices located throughout Houston, Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen and Brownsville; it employs more than two hundred attorneys serving forty-three counties covering over nine million people as part of its work under the Department of Justice according to its official website.
