The sale of roughly 3 kilos of meth in “controlled buys” by federal agents and a confidential informant led to a more than 21-year-prison sentence for a local man, records show.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office in the Southern District of Texas, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Roberto Trevino-Mendoza to a 262-month prison sentence related to an early 2019 undercover sting involving the alleged sale of a kilo of methamphetamine.
As conveyed in the official criminal complaint against Trevino-Mendoza, on Feb. 14, 2019, FBI agents met with an undercover informant near a busy intersection in Mission to search the informant’s vehicle before handing over $3,500 in cash for the purposes of purchasing meth from a suspected seller.
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When the undercover arrived at the purported suspect’s residence in Mission, the undercover allegedly spoke with Trevino-Mendoza as well as another man, Pedro Samuel Hernandez, 33, who was inside the residence with Trevino-Mendoza, waiting for the meth to arrive.
Once it arrived, the controlled substance was handed to Trevino-Mendoza, who then sold it to the confidential informant for $3,500 in cash, the court document stated. A total of one kilo was sold to the informant.
Less than a month later, on March 8, 2019, the informant and FBI agents met up once again.
This time agents handed the informant $4,500 in cash, as they attempted another buy of narcotics from Trevino-Mendoza. Once again, the undercover purchased a kilo of meth from Trevino-Mendoza.
“During this operation, agents had aerial surveillance observe the individual walking towards (the 700 block of Nora Lane),” the record shows. “FBI Agents confirmed the individual who delivered the methamphetamine returned to a residence located in the (1500 block of Samantha Street).”
Less than a week later, agents stopped the man from the Samantha residence, known in the record as “individual 1,” and identified Hernandez, who was present at the purchase of the first kilo of meth on Feb. 14, 2019, as the supplier of the meth.
“On March 13, 2019, FBI Agents recorded a conversation where Trevino-Mendoza and Hernandez were discussing what they believed happened to “individual 1,” who was set to deliver the methamphetamine to them,” the record shows. “During that conversation, Hernandez whose identity was unknown to FBI Agents at that time, described how “individual 1,” had picked up a police “tail.”
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Nine days later, on March 22, 2019, “individual 1” called Hernandez while FBI Agents were present and recording the conversation.
“During the phone call, “individual 1” and (Hernandez) briefly discussed the events of March 13 when “individual 1” was pulled over by law enforcement and “individual 1” advised Hernandez he/she had to get rid of methamphetamine because of law enforcement,” the document stated. “At no time did Hernandez sound confused as to what “individual 1” was referring to related to the drug seizure. The voice of the audio recording on March 13 and March 22 was the same voice confirming Hernandez’s participation.”
Later that month, the criminal complaint states, FBI agents learned Trevino-Mendoza had acquired a new meth supplier.
Subsequently, on March 26, 2019, Mission Police officers arrested Trevino-Mendoza and Hernandez after a traffic stop that led to the discovery of 31 grams of cocaine and 4.3 grams of meth inside the vehicle.
In Oct. 2019, Trevino-Mendoza pleaded guilty to count 1 and 3 of the indictment against him; in exchange he avoided a federal trial and had three of the charges dismissed, records show.
Last month, on Feb. 5, Hernandez was sentenced to a 108-month prison sentence for his role in the scheme, records show.
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A third man, Jesus Ivan Resendez-Gomez, was indicted along with Trevino-Mendoza and Hernandez as part of the undercover sting.
Resendez-Gomez is scheduled to be sentenced in mid-May, records show.
