Mexican Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Tomas Lorenzo-Cruz, 45, of Mexico, was sentenced on May 16, 2023, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, for his participation in a methamphetamine drug conspiracy. Chief United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. sentenced Lorenzo-Cruz to 135 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After his release from prison, Lorenzo-Cruz will begin a five-year term of supervised release.

Beginning in November 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated Operation Pollos Socios, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) to investigate the distribution activities of a Mexican-based Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) active in Omaha, Nebraska.  This investigation included numerous warrants including a court-authorized Title III interception of phone calls and text messages.  During the investigation, DEA special agents identified Lorenzo-Cruz as a methamphetamine distributor for the DTO.  A Title III intercept of Lorenzo-Cruz’s phone led investigators to other co-conspirators.  Ultimately, a search warrant was executed on a stash house that resulted in the seizure of 21 pounds of pure methamphetamine.  

Lorenzo-Cruz was the last defendant to be sentenced as part of this investigation.  Fidel Cardenas-Alvarez was sentenced on December 9, 2022, to 144 months’ imprisonment.  Darald Sandman was sentenced on March 6, 2023, to 138 months’ imprisonment.  Teresa Forbes was sentenced on March 6, 2023, to 70 months’ imprisonment.

“The Sinaloa Cartel is one of two Mexican drug trafficking organizations who have made their destructive presence felt in the United States and within our own Midwestern communities,” Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Justin C. King said. “The DEA remains focused on targeting and disrupting associates and distributors of the Cartel. Today’s sentencing is the result of the cooperative efforts between several state, local and federal law enforcement partners. Working together we can make a positive impact in Nebraska.”

This effort is part of an OCDETF investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Omaha Police Department.