Texas Man Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Drug Trafficking
SHREVEPORT, La. - A Texas man was sentenced last week to 20 years in prison for conspiring to transport methamphetamine and cocaine, announced Drug Enforcement (DEA) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley and Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.
Erasmo Aviles Jr., 35, of Spring, Texas, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. He was also sentenced to five years of supervised release.
Evidence was admitted at a three-day trial in August of 2017, that on May 12, 2016, Aviles was traveling east on Interstate 20 in Bossier Parish in one car that was traveling in tandem with another vehicle driven by co-defendant Francisco Guardiola, 25, of Spring, Texas. Louisiana State Troopers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicles. Aviles denied any wrongdoing and a search of his vehicle produced a camouflaged two-way radio set to channel two. The vehicle Guardiola was driving was searched. Troopers found 1,048 grams of methamphetamine and 361.8 grams of powder cocaine. They also found a camouflaged two-way radio of the same type found in Aviles’ vehicle that was also set to channel two.
Guardiola pleaded guilty on March 15, 2017, to all three counts and was sentenced on September 5, 2017 to 121 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
The DEA and Louisiana State Police conducted the investigation.
Parents and children are encouraged to educate themselves about the dangers of drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com and www.dea.gov.
