Dozens arrested for allegedly mailing marijuana
McALLEN — Authorities arrested 25 people on federal charges of sending controlled substances through the U.S. mail system.
Agents with the Hidalgo County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force and the U.S. Border Patrol visited local post offices and mailing facilities in search of drug-laden boxes during the past two weeks as part of an investigation into drug mailing operations. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service worked with authorities to identify those responsible for the mailed marijuana.
Federal criminal charges have been filed against those arrested, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The statutory punishment range depends on the amount of drugs each defendant was charged with having possessed with intent to distribute.
Many of those arrested and charged face up to five years of imprisonment and a $250,000 fine if convicted of drug trafficking offenses as alleged in the criminal complaints.
The following people were arrested as a result of the two-week investigation:
>> Jesus Castillo, 32, of Donna
>> Carlos Ojeda, 48, of San Juan
>> Homar De Hoyos, 27, of San Juan
>> Manuel E. Gomez, 20, of Pharr
>> Juan Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 46, of McAllen
>> Carmen Serrano, 38, of McAllen
>> Don Diego White, 33, of McAllen
>> Sydia Arroyo, 31, of McAllen
>> Benjamin Gonzalez, 24, of Mission
>> Miguel Roman, 26, of Mission
>> Esmeralda Balderas, 36, of Mission
>> Ramiro Vasquez, 37, of Mission
>> Luis Rodriguez, 47, of Mission
>> Maria I. Sanchez, 33, of Mission
>> Carmen Munoz, 25, of Mission
>> Maria Mendez-Lopez, 36, of Mission
>> Sergio Gonzalez, 26, of Corpus Christi
>> Miguel Cerda, 19, of Corpus Christi
>> Jonathan J. Martinez, 22, of Corpus Christi
>> Javier Zavala, 24, of Weslaco
>> Nelson Martinez, 26, of Edinburg
>> Juan M. Alaniz, 37, of Brownsville
>> San Juanita Villegas, 41, of Alton
>> Ivan Van Buren, 45, of Corona, Calif.
>> Mauro Martinez, 34, of Mexico
Roman, Sergio Gonzalez, Jonathan Martinez and Cerda made an initial appearance Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby and were detained pending a bond hearing set for Dec. 14. The others will likely appear before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future.
Earlier this year, criminal charges were filed against eight area residents suspected of mailing kilogram quantities of marijuana through the U.S. mail. Four have been convicted and are awaiting sentencing. A fifth is awaiting trial.
The remaining three — Tomas Silva Jr., 32, Roman Vasquez-Mendez, 30, and Eduardo Garcia Quijana (aka Lalo), 23 — are fugitives. Quijana is last known to have lived in the Mission area. Silva and Vasquez-Mendez are last known to have lived in the Mission and Alton areas.
Silva is described as a Hispanic male about 6 feet tall and weighing about 300 pounds. Vasquez-Mendez is described as a Hispanic male about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 160 pounds. Both men are described as having brown hair and brown eyes. Vasquez-Mendez has tattoos on his left hand, chest, right arm, abdomen, left forearm, upper left arm and upper right arm and is missing toes on his right foot.
Anyone with information about their whereabouts is urged to call the local Postal Inspection Service at (956) 971-1721. The Postal Inspection Service will pay up to $50,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of individuals who use the U.S. mail to distribute narcotics.
