A federal judge in McAllen on Thursday sentenced a Corpus Christi-based methamphetamine distributor who sourced his drugs from the Rio Grande Valley to 21 years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said in a news release that U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez handed 26-year-old Gabriel Anthony Pena the stiff sentence following his Dec. 1, 2021 guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Special agents with Homeland Security Investigations began investigating Pena after Border Patrol arrested Crystal Ann Flores on March 16, 2021 at the Falfurrias checkpoint after authorities discovered nearly 53 pounds of methamphetamine hidden between the frame and taillights of a Volkswagen Tiguan.
“At that time, authorities seized the narcotics and later determined that she had been recruited by Pena to transport through the checkpoint,” the release stated.
She pleaded guilty to selling, distributing or dispensing a controlled substance on April 5 and was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison.
In April and June 2021, authorities stopped Pena in Corpus Christi and found him with more than 400 grams of meth and a firearm, according to a news release, which said that a search warrant executed at his residence turned up an additional 3.7 pounds of meth.
The USAO said Pena admitted to coordinating multiple smuggling attempts in March and June 2021 where he recruited co-conspirators to transport drugs from the Valley to Corpus Christi.
Alvarez, the judge, found that Pena was an organizer or leader because he recruited others to transport the drugs and also noted that the scheme had a lengthy duration and involved nearly 62 pounds of methamphetamine seized during multiple incidents, two of which involved a gun.
“Judge Alvarez also emphasized the need to protect the community,” the news release stated.
HSI led the investigation and in a statement, Craig Larrabee, acting special agent in charge in San Antonio, said Pena will spend a substantial amount of time in federal prison because of his drug trafficking activities.
“People who persist in distributing large quantities of methamphetamines should expect to suffer a similar fate. To deter this conduct, we will continue to bring to justice those proven to be engaged in the distribution of dangerous illegal drugs,” Larrabee said. “HSI will continue to work aggressively with our federal law enforcement partners to keep our community a safer place to live.”
