Southern Texas Man Pleads Guilty To Drug Conspiracy

Arnoldo Garza, a resident of the McAllen, Texas, area, pled guilty in federal district court this afternoon to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, James L. Porter, announced today. Garza was detained pending sentencing, which is scheduled for April 3, 2016, at 2:30 P.M. before the Honorable Nancy J. Rosenstengel, United States District Judge. Garza faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years imprisonment up to life imprisonment followed by a minimum of five years on supervised release. Garza also faces a fine of up to $10,000,000 and a special assessment fee of $100.

Evidence in support of this prosecution was obtained in an investigation which was conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative is designed to bring federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. Agencies participating in this case include the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Monica A. Stump.