A Mission man has been sentenced to federal prison after being convicted of two counts of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Esteban Almentor-Lopez, 31, faced two separate narcotics charges and pleaded guilty on March 1, 2021, and December 20, 2022.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Almentor-Lopez to serve 70 months in federal prison for the initial drug trafficking charge and an additional consecutive 50 months for his subsequent conviction. His total sentence amounts to 120 months, followed by four years of supervised release.
In November 2020, law enforcement conducted an operation involving communication with a Mexican drug source of supply. The organization planned to deliver kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in the Rio Grande Valley for transport to Chicago, Illinois.
On two occasions in November 2020, Almentor-Lopez transported and delivered a total of 40 kilograms of methamphetamine in Mission. He was arrested but released on bond pending further proceedings.
On March 1, 2021, Almentor-Lopez pleaded guilty to those charges. However, the next day he was apprehended again while transporting and delivering an additional 20 kilograms of methamphetamine on behalf of the same drug organization.
The approximately 60 kilograms of methamphetamine trafficked by Almentor-Lopez showed a purity level of 100%.
Almentor-Lopez remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility yet to be determined.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia prosecuted the case.
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