Trio headed to prison for drug conspiracy

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A Brownsville man and a couple living in Los Fresnos have been ordered to prison for a total of nearly 50 years for their role in transporting meth from Brownsville to Louisiana, announced U. S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Jesus Hector Garza Jr., 31, Gelacio Flores-Flores, 33, and Mayra Danira Rodriguez, 40, pleaded guilty in 2018.

Today, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. sentenced Flores-Flores, a Mexican citizen living in Los Fresnos to 200 months in federal prison, while his wife - Rodriguez – received 157 months. Not a U.S. citizen, Flores-Flores is expected to face deportation proceedings following his sentence.

Judge Rodriguez previously sentenced Garza Jr., of Brownsville, to 240 months in federal prison.

In handing down the sentences, Judge Rodriguez noted the serious nature of the meth trafficking. He also recognized Flores and Rodriguez’s role in providing the drugs from Mexico to Garza who sold it to his buyers in Louisiana for profit. The court also ordered a $100,000 money judgement against Garza and a $30,000 money judgement for Flores as forfeiture of the proceeds they earned from illegally selling the methamphetamine.

In 2016, Garza bought approximately two kilograms of “ice” from Flores and enlisted Rodriguez to find a drug “mule” to get the meth load to Louisiana. Rodriguez recruited a young female from Brownsville to carry the drugs. Law enforcement intercepted the woman carrying the methamphetamine at a motel in Houston after bad weather kept the drug load from being carried all the way to Louisiana.

The investigation revealed Garza had purchased meth from Flores and Rodriguez numerous times. Flores and Rodriguez had a source of supply in Mexico for the drugs. Garza also sold crack cocaine locally in Brownsville and had shipped powdered cocaine to customers throughout the Southeastern United States.

All three have been and will remain in custody awaiting their transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and FBI conducted the joint Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Betancourt prosecuted the case.