Trap House Drug Dealer Sent to Prison
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 32-year-old Corpus Christi woman has been sentenced for trafficking narcotics, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Melissa Rendon pleaded guilty Aug. 4, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Rendon to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard evidence regarding Rendon’s aggravated role in the offense, her efforts to obstruct the investigation and her use of her minor daughter to hide evidence from authorities.
After conducting surveillance for a month, on July 7, 2022, law enforcement executed a search warrant at a residence in Corpus Christi where they found several people, but not Rendon. Authorities also found meth, cocaine, heroin, cocaine base (crack) and fentanyl – some packaged for sale – throughout the residence.
The investigation revealed Rendon distributed narcotics from the residence and had recruited a woman to live at the residence and to distribute drugs for her. Law enforcement additionally found a digital scale, baggies and latex gloves within the residence.
On March 2, 2023, authorities witnessed Rendon leaving the residence with four children and drop them off at school. They then conducted a second search. At that time, they recovered cocaine, cocaine base (crack), Ziploc baggies, a digital scale, latex gloves and several pieces of mail addressed to Rendon.
The investigation also revealed Rendon made calls from the jail asking her juvenile daughter to go to her residence, find a white cell phone, change the password and delete everything including all of the pictures, Facebook, texts and Snapchat from the phone.
Rendon 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 the investigation with the assistance of the Nueces County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigation Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda L. Gould prosecuted the case.
