LAREDO, Texas – A 34-year-old man has been ordered to prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl that resulted in the death of another person. Rene Antonio Melendez pleaded guilty June 29. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana ordered Melendez to serve 252 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by...

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced in federal court to 200 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio Division Miguel C. Madrigal and U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western...

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Authorities have arrested 19 people following a long-term investigation into an alleged drug trafficking organization operating in Alice. All 19 are charged with conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 280 grams of crack cocaine. Authorities arrested Joel Sanchez, 31; David...

SAN ANTONIO – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas and the Drug Enforcement Administration San Antonio Field Division announced the establishment of an Overdose Task Force aimed at investigating overdose cases in the San Antonio metropolitan area. The Overdose Task Force was employed in support of...

LAREDO, Texas – The final defendant in a three-person drug trafficking conspiracy has been ordered to federal prison for distributing fentanyl and heroin. Freddy Serano, 42, pleaded guilty April 7. On Sept. 16, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Serano to serve 18 months in federal prison to be...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 40-year-old Baytown man has been sentenced for possession with intent to deliver cocaine. Pablo Luis Fuentes-Rivas pleaded guilty July 2, 2025. At a Sept. 17 hearing, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ordered Fuentes-Rivas to serve 70 months in federal prison. His prison term will be...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 29-year-old woman has been sentenced for possession with intent to deliver cocaine. Laura Janette Gonzalez pleaded guilty Sept. 21, 2025. U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now ordered Gonzalez to serve 25 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release...

LAREDO, Texas – A 40-year-old Laredo resident has been sentenced for conspiring to distribute fentanyl. Rolando Soliz pleaded guilty Sept. 16, 2025. U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered Soliz to serve 110 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release. At...

A Beaumont man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Division Brian C. Leardo and U.S. Attorney Jay...

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 27-year-old man has been sentenced for possession with intent to deliver cocaine and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. Eduardo Rodriguez Jr. pleaded guilty Nov. 5, 2024. U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera ordered Rodriguez to serve 125 months in federal prison at a hearing Aug. 26, which...