Moore County Marijuana Trafficker Sentenced to 188 Months in Federal Prison

AMARILLO, Texas — Guadalupe Reyes, a/k/a “Lupe,” 49, of Etter, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater to 188 months in federal prison, following his guilty plea in June 2016 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana.  U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas made today’s announcement.

In addition, Reyes must forfeit to the government several parcels located in Moore County, Texas.

Co-defendant Marco Saucedo, 45, of Cactus, Texas, was sentenced in September 2016 to 48 months in federal prison following his guilty plea to one count of unlawful use of a communications facility.

According to documents filed in the case, in November 2014, officers with the Cactus Police Department responded to a weapon being discharged at a residence in Cactus that was owned by Guadalupe Reyes, and they determined that the individual who discharged the firearm was renting the property from Reyes.  After obtaining consent to search, officers found more than $130,000 in cash inside the residence, which the resident advised was cash that he, at the direction of Reyes and Saucedo, brought back the previous week from Wichita and Topeka, Kansas.

The resident further disclosed he had been working for Reyes for several months, transporting large amounts of marijuana from Amarillo and Fritch, Texas, to other states, such as Kansas and Ohio.  He would also transport large amounts of cash – proceeds from the sale of the marijuana – from those locations to the Cactus area, all at the direction of Reyes and Saucedo, who would pay him a set amount for each of the runs he made.

The resident indicated he had made approximately 10 trips to Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City, Kansas, as well as to Toledo, Ohio, to deliver marijuana for Reyes, estimating that he had delivered approximately 8,000 pounds of marijuana while employed by Reyes.  He further stated that on at least four occasions, he had returned with approximately $400,000 in cash for marijuana he had delivered.  He further stated that Reyes instructed him to keep the money at the residence until it was retrieved by other, unnamed individuals.  The individual also stated that both Reyes and Saucedo had directed him to only use pre-paid cell phones when communicating with them or the buyers. 

In recorded conversations in November 2014, Reyes stated, among other things, that he was worried about law enforcement taking some of his properties. 

This OCDETF case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Moore County Sheriff’s Office and the Cactus Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long was in charge of the prosecution.           

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