United States Drug Enforcement Administration

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 42-year-old resident of San Benito has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute over five kilograms of cocaine, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Salvador Cortez-Nava aka Chava pleaded guilty Aug. 24, 2023.

U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now ordered Cortez-Nava to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that described Nava ordering the kidnapping of a co-conspirator and threatened harm over the loss of several drug loads. In handing down the sentence, the court approved the government’s request to forfeit assets obtained through drug proceeds.

“The Mexican Gulf Cartel is one of Mexico's oldest criminal syndicates, engaging in drug trafficking, violence, human smuggling, and more, reflecting the complex challenges posed by the cartels along Texas’s border with Mexico,” said Hamdani. “Salvador Cortez-Nava, aka Chava, demonstrated his allegiance to this cartel by coordinating the distribution of cocaine and employing ruthless tactics, including ordering kidnappings and threats of violence. His actions underscored the perilous influence of the cartel as he transported drug proceeds back into Mexico. By sending Cortez-Nava to prison, justice delivers another blow against the Gulf Cartel’s violent hold on the narcotics trade.”

“The hard work of our agents leading up to this victory demonstrates Homeland Security Investigation’s (HSI) unique authorities and expertise in financial investigations to combat organized crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of HSI - San Antonio. “Through a multi-agency task force, we uncovered over $1.5 million in drug proceeds and seized more than 150 kilograms of cocaine; this amount of poison has no place in our country.” 

“The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) aggressive enforcement continues to hurt the drug trafficking business by shutting down Cortez Nava's significant cocaine trafficking network,” said Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Division Daniel C. Comeaux. “Regardless of the rank or the level of sophistication used to traffic drugs and money, the DEA has always been able to disassemble the structure these drug cartels have in place to move poison into American communities and successfully eradicate the threat.

Cortez-Nava was a key player in a large-scale cocaine trafficking network, importing significant quantities of cocaine from Mexico. He oversaw the transportation and distribution across multiple U.S. cities, including in the Rio Grande Valley as well as North Carolina, Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Indiana.”

Cortez-Nava’s criminal organization employed sophisticated methods, such as using vehicles with hidden compartments at ports of entry to smuggle cocaine from Matamoros, Mexico, into the United States. He also supervised the recruitment of individuals to carry out these smuggling operations.

A multi-agency task force investigating several narcotics and cash seizures from 2016 to 2020 determined Cortez-Nava led the organization. 

A series of drug and money seizures resulting from Cortez-Nava’s orders included $501,145.00 in drug proceeds concealed inside a vehicle in February 2016 and 1.10 kilograms of cocaine in April 2017 that was intended to be distributed. After that drug seizure, authorities discovered an additional 48.35 kilograms of cocaine belonging to the Gulf Cartel. These seizures were followed by seizures of 29.45 kilograms of cocaine and $269,996.00 in 2018, and 68.3 kilograms of cocaine and over $812,000 in 2019.

During the investigation, authorities seized over $1.5 million in proceeds and approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine.

As part of his guilty plea, Cortez-Nava agreed to forfeit several properties, a vehicle, two firearms and various jewelry, watches and other items.

Cortez-Nava will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

HSI and DEA conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the Brownsville Police Department and Customs and Border Protection. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles drug trafficking organizations and other criminal networks that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal state and local enforcement agencies. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Oscar Ponce and Zachary Blackmon prosecuted the case.