FORNEY, Texas — A resident of Forney, Texas, Ernesto Diaz-Velazquez, has been sentenced to serve seven years (84 months) in federal prison for his involvement in a conspiracy to possess and distribute approximately 19 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani earlier today.
Diaz-Velazquez, 40, had previously pleaded guilty to the charges on December 6, 2022.
The ruling was delivered by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo, who, during the hearing, took into account the high-purity of the methamphetamine, or meth “ice,” trafficked by Diaz-Velazquez in the city of Laredo.
The court noted that the drug belonged to the Michoacan Cartel, a well-known Mexican drug trafficking organization.
The investigation that led to Diaz-Velazquez’s sentencing began on September 5, 2017, when authorities started to probe suspected drug trafficking across the local port of entry. Diaz-Velazquez was identified as the person who took possession of about 18.58 kilograms of pure meth at a local store parking lot. The drug was delivered to him in high-purity liquid form.
The court was informed that the Michoacan Cartel was the original source of the methamphetamine.
Diaz-Velazquez has been allowed to remain on bond and will voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, the location of which will be determined in due course.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, with the assistance from the Laredo Police Department, conducted the investigation under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. The OCDETF is an initiative designed to identify, disrupt, and dismantle high-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States. The initiative employs a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is in charge of prosecuting the case.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
