Alice man sentenced to over 10 years in federal prison for methamphetamine conspiracy

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 39-year-old Texas man has been ordered to prison for his role in a conspiracy to distribute approximately 500 grams of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Thomas East pleaded guilty Nov. 21, 2024.

U.S. District Judge David Morales has now ordered East to serve 132 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.

East claimed he was a minor participant and deserved a lesser sentence. At the hearing, however, Judge Morales found he had a larger role and, specifically, that he made multiple trips to get methamphetamine. In addition, he stood to gain from the conspiracy by receiving some of the methamphetamine to sell on his own.

The investigation began in February 2024 when authorities discovered East and his co-conspirator, Diana Contreras, were making trips to San Antonio to acquire large amounts of methamphetamine.

On one of those occasions, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop and discovered nearly 500 grams of methamphetamine along with a firearm. Contreras and East admitted they agreed to take the trip to San Antonio to get the narcotics. Contreras planned to sell the drugs in and around the Alice area, while East planned to take smaller portions to sell on his own. 

East has been in custody since where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Contreras, 37, also from Alice, had pleaded guilty and was previously sentenced to 156 months in federal prison.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Griffith prosecuted the case.