Houston Republic

Multiple individuals have been sentenced for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Hector Flores, 53; Aaron Elezar Pachuca, 30; Lauro Alberto Garcia, 31; Matthew Aaron Arce, 31; Javier Hernandez-Barajas, 71; Vincent Castro, 35; Jose Moises Cruz, 39, all of Laredo; and Ernesto Diaz-Velazquez, 41, of Forney had all previously pleaded guilty.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana has now ordered Flores to serve a total of 171 months in federal prison. Castro and Pachuca both received 120-month terms of imprisonment, while Hernandez-Barajas, Cruz, Diaz-Velazquez, Garcia and Arce received sentences of 135, 130, 63, 70 and 70 months respectively. Arce must serve three years of supervised release while the other seven were ordered to serve five-year terms.

At the hearings held on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20, the court reviewed additional evidence regarding the organization’s drug importation and smuggling operations.

The investigation revealed that Flores and other leaders sourced drugs from a Mexican supplier. They transported the drugs to a stash house in Laredo owned by Flores where they separated and re-packaged them before distributing them to various couriers for further distribution into the interior of the United States.

Authorities seized over 14 kilograms of methamphetamine, 12 kilograms of heroin, ten kilograms of cocaine, seven kilograms of fentanyl and $8,000 in drug proceeds during the investigation.

Additionally, the United States ordered the forfeiture of the stash house used for trafficking narcotics.

Arce and Garcia were allowed to remain on bond and will voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined later. The remaining six have been and will remain in custody.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted this Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with assistance from Border Patrol; Customs and Border Protection Air & Marine Operations; Homeland Security Investigations; Texas Department of Public Safety; Webb County District Attorney’s Office; sheriff’s offices in Webb and Zapata Counties; police departments in Laredo; Texas A&M International University Police Department; United Independent School District Police Department; Webb County Precinct Four Constables Office and Ohio State Highway Patrol.

OCDETF identifies disrupts and dismantles high-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led intelligence-driven multi-agency approach. Additional information about OCDETF can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Evans prosecuted the case.