United States Drug Enforcement Administration

SAN ANTONIO – A Mexican National was sentenced by a federal court in San Antonio to 27 years in prison for leading an international methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, announced the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio Division Miguel Madrigal and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Justin R. Simmons.

According to court documents, Arturo Leija-Alvarado, 43, led an organization that trafficked well over one thousand kilograms of methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States, for distribution in and around the San Antonio area. The conspiracy involved large quantities of methamphetamine that were smuggled into the United States while hidden in various ways, most commonly in large loads of lettuce. 

At the time that Leija led the drug trafficking organization, Leija had already been convicted twice of illegally reentering the United States following a previous removal and had been removed from the United States on at least three separate occasions.  Following his most recent removal, Leija illegally reentered the United States during the Spring of 2024, and by May 2024 was already coordinating a load of methamphetamine hidden in 16 pallets of lettuce.

Leija coordinated and oversaw the smuggling of multiple additional large loads of methamphetamine during July, August, and September 2024.  These loads were also hidden in shipments of lettuce, and often included hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine at a time. One load from September 2024 included at least approximately 500 kilograms of methamphetamine by itself.

Evidence in the case also depicted a large number of firearms that were possessed during this conspiracy. As the conspiracy continued, law enforcement learned that Leija and his co-conspirators were receiving the shipments of methamphetamine at a secluded property in Atascosa, Texas.  After unloading the methamphetamine at the Atascosa property, Leija’s drug organization distributed the methamphetamine into the San Antonio community and surrounding areas.

On October 17, 2024, after obtaining a federal search warrant for the property, law enforcement observed a semi-truck with a flatbed trailer arrive at the ranch.  Immediately prior to executing the warrant, law enforcement observed a group of individuals, overseen by Leija, spend several hours using welding tools to cut open hidden compartments on the trailer. 

Shortly after midnight on October 18, 2024, law enforcement executed a search warrant and found dozens of packages of methamphetamine that had been wrapped in tape, covered in grease, and secreted inside of hidden compartments on the flatbed trailer that had been welded shut.  Subsequent DEA laboratory testing confirmed that the packages seized on this day alone contained 63 kilograms of 100% methamphetamine hydrochloride, i.e., crystal meth.

Agents arrested Leija  inside an RV on the property.  Agents found a firearm and $21,646.00 in U.S. currency in that RV, and another firearm elsewhere on the property.

Leija was arrested along with co-conspirators Francis Edward “Eddie” Hilliard and Richard William Aaron Patton.  The trio were charged with various offenses, including Conspiring to Possess with Intent to Distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.  All three Defendants subsequently pled guilty to that charge.

In addition to Leija’s sentence of 27 years, Hilliard, who is 77 years old, was sentenced last month to 145 months in prison, and Patton is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

“Mr. Leija ignored our immigration laws, ignored our drug laws, and ignored our gun laws,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons. “However, he cannot ignore the fact that he will now spend the next couple of decades behind walls of steel and concrete. I want to thank our law enforcement partners who helped put this case together and to AUSA John Fedock, who carried this case through to the finish line.” 

“Drug traffickers smuggle more than just illegal drugs—they bring violence, fuel crime, and put American lives at risk with every shipment," said DEA San Antonio Field Division Special Agent in Charge Miguel Madrigal. Through the dedicated efforts of DEA San Antonio and its law enforcement partners, thousands of lethal doses of illegal drugs were prevented from reaching San Antonio and communities across the nation. This prosecution is another victory that reflects the DEA’s unwavering commitment to protecting the public, disrupting drug trafficking organizations, and saving American lives.”

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and Hondo Police Department investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John Fedock prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF comprises agents and officers from FBI; ICE HSI; DEA; ATF; U.S. Border Patrol; USMS; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Texas Department of Public Safety; as well as local police departments and sheriff’s offices, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.

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