A 48-year-old Mexican national has been sent to prison following his conviction for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute meth for Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Homero Guerra-Moreno pleaded guilty Dec. 6, 2022.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Guerra-Moreno to serve 324 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Guerra-Moreno is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described how, from 2013 to 2018, Guerra-Moreno was responsible for monthly transportation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of crystal meth into the United States from Mexico.
“Today we dealt a blow to the Mexican cartels. Guerra-Moreno trafficked drugs into local communities like Laredo, Texas, for years, trafficking about 15,000 kilograms of meth for the CJNG, a ruthless Mexican cartel,” said Hamdani. “He tried to run and hide abroad, but the prosecutors and investigators of the Southern district of Texas are relentless; law enforcement located and detained him before he could escape. Guerra-Moreno’s capture and sentence sends a message to those who work with the cartels, you can run, but you cannot hide.”
“Reaching the source of supply is crucial in stopping the flow of devastating drugs into our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) Houston Division. “The exemplary collective and persistent efforts between DEA and its federal partners brought down one of CJNG’s most significant meth source of suppliers in South Texas.”
The investigation revealed a complex conspiracy which began in 2014. Authorities identified Guerra-Moreno as the source of supply for several drug trafficking organizations importing “ice” from Mexico through the United States. Guerra-Moreno worked in association with the CJNG and personally recruited traffickers to transport meth into Laredo.
Guerra-Moreno resided in Mexico and evaded capture for years. On May 26, 2022, law enforcement detained Guerra-Moreno at Tocuman International Airport as he was attempting to depart for Mexico. He was subsequently deported to Texas to face conspiracy charges.
Guerra-Moreno will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service, Laredo Police Department, Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, Georgia State Patrol, U.S. Embassy Panama City, Panama Immigration, Panama National Police Interpol Unit and the Panamanian government.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, mutlti-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco J. Rodriguez is prosecuting the case.
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