Oct. 21, 2011

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Last defendant sentenced this week to 210 months

McALLEN, Texas – Thirteen Rio Grande Valley men from the cities of Donna, Edinburg, San Juan and Weslaco, Texas, have all been sentenced to prison for drug trafficking and money laundering charges as a result of an investigation that began in January 2009, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today along with Jerry Robinette, special-agent-in-charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Antonio, Texas.

All 13 men were ultimately charged in a superseding indictment which included substantive counts of drug trafficking or money laundering and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances involving more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. The 13 men include Michael Talamantes, 35, Oscar Martinez, 41, Jose Angel Castillo-Reyna, 46, Ramiro Gracia-Cantu, 52, Carlos Valdez, 31, all of Edinburg; Oscar Villarreal, 40, Juan Guerra, 31, both of Donna; David Tijerina, 43, Jesus Davila, 29, Rodrigo Rafael Davila, 27, and Jaime Galvan, 37, all of Weslaco; and Ramon De Luna, 55, and Jesus De Luna, 32, both of San Juan. With the exception of Talamantes, Martinez, Villarreal, Castillo-Reyna, Rodrigo Davila and Valdez, the remaining defendants were also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. 

Ultimately, all of the defendants pleaded guilty and have been sentenced by United States District Judge Randy Crane at various hearings held in federal court in McAllen, Texas, with the last sentencing occurring this week. 

The last defendant, Jesus Davila, was sentenced earlier this week to 210 months in federal prison for his conviction of possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance to be followed by a five-year-term of supervised release. Previously, Ramon De Luna and Jesus Deluna pleaded guilty to money laundering and were each sentenced to 46 months imprisonment. Guerra and Galvan also pleaded guilty to money laundering and each received 70 months in prison. For their convictions of possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance, Talamantes, Martinez, Villarreal, Valdez were sentenced to 90, 120, 80 and 120 months imprisonment, respectively. Ramiro Gracia-Cantu was sentenced to 235 months in prison, while  Rodrigo Davila, Tijerina, Castillo-Reyna were sentenced to 135, 132 and 121 months for their possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance convictions. 

Agents with ICE-HSI investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Anibal J. Alaniz and Linda Requénez prosecuted the case.