Twenty-Two Indicted for Drug Trafficking in San Antonio Area Drug Enforcement Administration Daniel C. Comeaux Special Agent in Charge Houston @DEAHoustonDiv April 15, 2021 Contact: Sally M. Sparks Phone Number: (713) 693-3329 For Immediate Release Twenty-Two Indicted for Drug Trafficking in San Antonio Area In the quiet Lowcountry that Murdaughs family had dominated since the days of Jim Crow, a judge talked to Murdaugh in a way that few probably have not in his days playing college football, making millions as a high-powered attorney or gaining favor because of his name and reminded Murdaugh that he had to remove the portrait of the defendants grandfather from its place of honor in that same courtroom to ensure a fair trial. Villarreal fraudulently acquired Mexican pesos totaling over $35 million in U.S. dollars and funneled the monies into United States bank accounts, federal prosecutors in Corpus Christi wrote in a court filing. Intellectuals and landholders from the state, which borders Texas, took refuge here during the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s. Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. Guillermo has also worked in Central America, Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona and California and his work has appeared in various publications, including the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, New York Post, Newsday, Denver Post and the Albuquerque Journal. He pleaded guilty to operating a money transmitting business without a license, Barrera said. Flores has since pleaded guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge and agreed to give up millions of dollars in Texas bank accounts, a Learjet and his home in The Dominion. Murdaugh's brother and surviving son sat behind him in the courtroom every day. In a month or so, he will move to a maximum security state prison like all new inmates serving life sentences. Roberto Casimiro Gonzlez Trevio signed the deed of sale for the property and he's listed as the trust's sole managing member, but his name does not appear on public records filed by the LLCs. Jose Artemio Acevedo Jr. aka Chapparo, 49, of Rio Grande City; Zambrano and Mendez now face charges of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, a first degree felony, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver over 400 grams, another first degree felony, possession of a controlled substance a third degree felony and possession of marijuana, more than five pounds, also a third degree felony. One victim reportedly paid more than $12,000 to get to the San Antonio area, according to the sheriff. HOUSTON - Twenty-two defendants from San Antonio, Del Rio and Laredo face federal drug trafficking charges, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. Murdaugh didnt look at the sign as he was hustled into the courthouse with his head down. SAN ANTONIO A massive drug bust took place at a northwest side hotel where 75,000 fentanyl pills were seized, the Bexar County Sherriff's Office said. They refused to identify themselves to reporters or discuss why they were meeting in a conference room with prosecutors, a DEA agent and an investigator with the Texas attorney general's office. Good Morning San Antonio. Jose Tabares, 53, of San Antonio According to authorities, the team has two simultaneous narcotic search warrants on two residences located near the 200 block of Zaragoza Street. Villarreal was involved in facilitating the purchase of the properties, Houston attorney Michael J. Wynne said. Aug. 2, 2014 Updated: Aug. 4, 2014 11 a.m. Facebook Twitter Email. Copyright 2023 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Its radio and television stations have a reputation for supporting the Institutional Revolutionary Party, known by its Spanish acronym PRI, in general and the Moreiras in particular. Joe Angel Villarreal later was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for leading a large cocaine-trafficking group. The now-disbarred attorney admitted stealing millions of dollars from the family firm and clients, saying he needed the money to fund his drug habit. The nighttime stakeout targeted her father. All the billboards that the PRI used in its campaigns they would rent from Roberto, and they'd easily get the permits from the city governments.. SAN ANTONIO Six people are in custody following a drug bust in east Bexar County earlier this week, according to the Bexar County Sheriffs Office. Marshals Service, Bexar County Sheriffs Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and Kendall County Sheriffs Office conducted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation called Operation Dirty Confidential. The former governor, critics said, was adept at bringing the news media to his side, leaning on advertisers or offering up party and government advertising as an enticement. Both arrests were in connection with the drug bust, the sheriffs office said. Authorities call it the largest. On an October morning last year, residents in . Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The press conference took place around 11:45 a.m. Friday in the 500 block of Porter. By the time federal prosecutors charged Torres and Villarreal, Bexar County prosecutors finally had started moving their civil lawsuit forward. Joel Villarreal aka Gordo, 49, of San Antonio; Then, starting in 2006, he and his brother, Roberto Casimiro Gonzlez Trevio, went on a spending spree. Meanwhile, the U.S. investigation sprawled. When there's two or three or four or five layers of individuals, that's called layering of ownership, he said. OCDETF Lead Task Force Attorney Adrin Rosales is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government. A federal grand jury indictment unsealed today charges the following defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance: Francisco Garza aka Pancho, 52, of San Antonio Jay Haggard, 34, of San Antonio In the following months, details of the U.S. investigation began trickling out through a series of lawsuits filed by federal and state prosecutors to seize bank accounts and property owned by limited liability companies that had been set up by Villarreal, Coronado, another brother-in-law, Villarreal's wife and his alleged mistress. The arrestsin San Antonio conclude a comprehensive investigation by DEA, along with our law enforcement partners, into the criminal activities of a drug trafficking organization, who were responsible for transporting and distributing methamphetamine and cocaine into our communities, said Daniel C. Comeaux, special agent in charge of the DEA office in Houston. This arrest operation also resulted in firearms, currency, and a large amount of methamphetamine being seized from these individuals. Hernandez, Haggard and Heredia were already in custody. Guillermo has been with the Express-News for 20 years, and has covered federal court and its investigative agencies for most of that time. A federal grand jury indictment unsealed today charges the following defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance: Matthew Noe Arteaga, age 35 of San Antonio; Like a traditional mafia, the Zetas also are involved in public works fraud, creating fake companies or suborning legitimate businesses and bribing public officials in exchange for government contracts that are inflated or never completed. DEA officials said the pills were smaller than a dime and that even a tiny dose of the drug could be fatal. In February, Villarreal slipped across one of the international bridges in El Paso and turned himself in to federal agents. Among those charged in South Texas are the interim governor who served after Moreira, several business owners with homes on San Antonio's North Side, and a former state treasurer who's wanted in Mexico on allegations of taking out fraudulent loans on the state's credit. First, the government filed a civil complaint and, when (Torres) contested this civil forfeiture by filing a motion to dismiss, then the government brought an indictment over the same subject matter all with the purpose of obstructing the ability to defend oneself against a groundless forfeiture.. Marshals Service, IRS Criminal Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Texas Department of Public Safety, Bexar County Sheriffs Office, Terrell Hills Police Department, Seguin Police Department and San Antonio Police Department conducted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation called Operation Alamo Fade. Gonzlez Fernandez's girlfriend, Alejandra Ibarra, who lives at the Champions Ridge house with their 3-year-old daughter, said she doesn't believe he was involved in drug trafficking. As I tell you again, I respect this court. Coahuila prosecutors in October 2011 charged Villarreal with falsifying documents to take out millions of dollars in loans on the state's credit. The juror agreed with prosecutors that the key piece of evidence was a video locked on his sons cellphone for a year video shot minutes before the killings at the same kennels near where the bodies would be found. The girl was shot when she drove her fathers car out of their house at San Joaquin and Motes streets. It is my understanding that the Gonzalez family has contributed greatly to the economy of San Antonio, his lawyer Carlos Quezada said. Shes a recreation specialist for GEO, supervising children at play, he said. They asked a judge to give them three San Antonio houses, all appraised at more than $500,000; the Champions Ridge home owned by Gonzlez Fernandez, a house in the Vistas at Sonterra owned by his brother; and a house in Oakwell Farms, an exclusive inside-the-loop gated community, owned by their father, Ral Gonzlez Trevio. Brian Victorino Chavarria, age 24 of San Antonio; That fact is evident from the number of firearms recovered in this investigation - not to mention the silencers, grenade and body armor. The DEA will continue to relentlessly pursue any individual or organization that threatens the well-being and stability of our communities.. Jury takes an hour to reach verdict over deal at Port S.A. There were no guns, no drugs.. The lawsuits sought millions of dollars in bank accounts in Texas and Bermuda as well as the commercial strip center on U.S. 281, the pharmacy on Stone Oak Parkway, a storage center on Loop 1604, a condo on South Padre Island and most of a commercial block in Brownsville that prosecutors said was purchased with money stolen from Coahuila's treasury. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Moreira has not been charged, but his political career came to an abrupt end in 2011 when it was revealed that under his governorship Coahuila had racked up nearly $3 billion in debt. Rodger Hernandez aka Rocky, 43, of San Antonio Prosecutors decided not to seek the death penalty in this case, and Newman handed down the harshest possible sentence he could consecutive life sentences without parole. Those five defendants were already in custody. If convicted of the latest conspiracy charges, Villarreal and the others each face 10 years to life in federal prison. James Patric Bartlett, age 42 of San Antonio; and, It didn't take long to convince the other three. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. BCSO said through the course of executing the search warrant they found a total of 13.4 pounds of marijuana, 2.2 pounds of hash oil, 1.2 ounces of cocaine, 2.9 grams of methamphetamine, a shotgun and $16,757 in cash. That's why Sorianello had a strong message to parents: pay attention to your kids. Oscar Jesus Lopez, age 23 of Laredo; The specific mission of the Houston/South Texas OCDETF Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle the drug trafficking organizations headed by designated Consolidated Priority Organization Targets (CPOTs), Regional Priority Organization Targets (RPOTs), and their affiliates that impact Houston and south Texas. His high-powered attorney, J.A. Roberto Casimiro Gonzlez Trevio also shows up on the list of people Bexar County prosecutors told a judge they want to ask witnesses about as part of their money laundering investigation, and he once owned the house in Champions Ridge that the feds are trying to seize from his nephew. SAN ANTONIO - Twenty five men and women are in custody after authorities busted a drug distribution operation in the San Antonio area Thursday, according to officials. Oscar Oviedo, age 26 of San Antonio; The multiagency taskforce handling the case includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas attorney general's office and the Internal Revenue Service. Deputies. Lock And that was the reason they offered it, Griffin said. Prosecutors in Corpus Christi filed a lawsuit in late September accusing Torres, who owns a house near Houston, of using JP Morgan Chase Bank accounts to transfer millions of dollars from Mexico to Texas, then turning around and sending it offshore. In 2008, Humberto Moreira named Gonzlez Trevio the state of Coahuila's spokesman in San Antonio, but it's unclear what duties he performed. The Zetas in particular had spread their control to Coahuila's mining sector, Moreira said. According to Eastland County Today, Tuesday at 1:30 am - Eastland County Deputy Sheriff Colby Jackson made a traffic stop on a speeding vehicle on Interstate 20. Drug Bust November 25, 2022 8:35 am . Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT. Rene Palafos, age 37 of San Antonio; He asked for an investigation of those persons, many of whom are part of society and are well-known and who have financial relations with (organized crime) and who have made their fortunes through them. Marshals Service and the Bexar County Sheriffs Office assisted with arrests. Jonathan Linares Lumbreras aka Coahuila, 30, of San Antonio; All the remaining defendants face between 10 years to life in federal prison upon conviction. Javier Armando Casas, 40, of Pharr; In addition to Moyado and Cardenas, the following suspects were arrested: Crystal Coronado, 34, is facing the following charges: Jeanette Gloria, 38, is facing the following charges: Jose Delgado, 38, is facing the following charges: Kenneth Peterson, 28, is facing the following charges: The street value of the drugs that were found in the residence is well over $700,000, according to Salazar. The drug bust led deputies to search another residence in the 100 block of Seashell Place in west San Antonio. USAA wants some remote employees in the office three days Texas Vista owner has threatened hospital shutdown before, VIA adding 8 new buses to its fleet and theyre all electric, BCSO: 3 arrested after 6 smuggled people, 3 stash houses found, Bexar County deputy reunites African tortoise with owners, Gunmen blast 75 rounds at Northwest Side apartment. Gonzlez Fernandez didn't respond to letters written to him in jail, and his new attorney, San Antonio white collar crime expert Cynthia Orr, wouldn't comment. Now, said Herberg, the No. One of his Texas limited liability companies the one that shows up on deed records is controlled by a Dutch company, which is controlled by another Texas LLC, which is controlled by a trust. A federal grand jury indictment returned in San Antonio charges the following defendants with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine: This comes as state officials said they've seen a surge in fentanyl seizures with DPS reporting a 950% increase from 2020. According to Sorianello, fentanyl is a synthetic opioid, over 50 times greater or stronger than heroine. Gutierrez faces between five and 40 years upon conviction. And there's a correlation between that and the approximately 93,000 overdose deaths in the country," said Dante Sorianello, DEA Special Agent. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering operations, and those primarily responsible for the nations illegal drug supply. Again he was released on bond and within days Mexican federal prosecutors leveled a new round of charges against him tied to the alleged fraudulent loans, which they say approached $250 million. The GEO Group built the facility and manages it under contract with Karnes County and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Fridays hearing again took place in a packed courtroom. The BCSOs Gang Unit and Organized Crime Unit handled the investigation of the drug bust. SAN ANTONIO A massive drug bust took place at a northwest side hotel where 75,000 fentanyl pills were seized, the Bexar County Sherriff's Office said. Photo: KTSA/Dennis Foley. The indictment alleges that the defendants conspired in 2020 to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. Timeline: An interactive look at Coahuila's debt and the ensuing investigation in San Antonio. Jesse Martinez, age 41 of San Antonio; Moyado and Cardenas were booked into the Karnes federal holding facility for possession with intent to distribute five kilos of heroin or more and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine or more, according to the BCSO. Monday February 10, 2003. Francisco Manuel Mata-Martinez, 41, of El Paso, was indicted. "No tears. All of them were indicted on federal drug. In total, officials found seven kilos of heroin and 1.5 kilos of meth, according to the BCSO. Monday February 10, 2003. Salazar said the three suspects face charges of human smuggling, engaging in organized crime . The jury deliberated for less than three hours Thursday before finding Murdaugh guilty of killing his 22-year-old son with two shotgun blasts and his 52-year-old wife with four or five rifle shots. Jason Buch, Guillermo Contreras, San Antonio Express-News. The truth is he brought shame upon himself, his family, the community, his profession, Kinsinger said. The prosecutors' deposition request included a list of people and entities they would be asking about, including the Moreira brothers, their nephew, a number of Villarreal's family members, Chaires, Humberto Moreira's former secretary, and Roberto Casimiro Gonzalez Trevio, the Coahuila cable magnate whose nephew was arrested in San Antonio and whose brother served as the state's spokesman here. Ed Rodriguez, a former IRS agent who is not involved in the case, said there could be perfectly legitimate reasons for businessmen to distance themselves from properties they own, including protection from lawsuits. Updated: 4:52 PM CST January 28, 2022. "Some may not have any narcotic in it, others may have too much and thats when your going to overdose, and these are the stories you hear, someone goes to a party, and never done anything, said Sorianello. Joshua Hamilton, 30, was arrested on a charge of felon in possession of a firearm. He surrendered to state police on Oct. 29, 2011, and was released on bond within hours. It is important to note that an indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. As Torren businessman Guillermo Flores Cordero stepped off a private jet in August at San Antonio International Airport, federal agents were waiting to take him to Corpus Christi to face charges that he illegally used shell companies to transfer millions of dollars from Mexico to the U.S. for others. Over five years, they purchased a dozen houses in San Antonio, selling off a handful and renting out others. DEA, San Antonio Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Coahuila, with its large manufacturing sector and border crossings, is a major trade partner with Texas, and politically connected people from the state who are not under investigation have become close with San Antonio city leaders. ___ Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. They say those millions were looted from the Coahuila government and flooded Texas starting in 2007, during the term of former Gov. Moreira, the former leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, is close to Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. During this investigation, authorities have seized approximately 25 kilograms of cocaine, 35 firearms, two silencers, a grenade, body armor and approximately $265,000 in U.S. Currency along with other assets attributable to this organization. Official websites use .govA .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. They worked for him. "That's due to availability, the amount of fentanyl that's in the country right now. That's it. By then, Villarreal disappeared. SAN ANTONIO Six people are in custody, two of which are being held in a federal facility, following a drug bust on the North Side, according to the Bexar County Sheriffs Office.
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