Heroin Conspiracy Sends Doctor to Federal Prison

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 37-year-old U.S. citizen who was living in Mexico has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than 10 kilograms of heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Jose Roberto Moya pleaded guilty Oct. 26, 2018.  

Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos determined Moya had a leadership role in the drug conspiracy and ordered him to serve 144 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. 

Moya is a medical doctor who operated a clinic in Reynosa, Mexico.

Law enforcement stopped him June 6, 2018, for a traffic violation just south of Alice as he was driving with two female passengers in the vehicle. As the females exited the car, deputies noticed unusual bulges beneath their clothing. A subsequent pat-down revealed nine bundles of heroin with a total weight of more than 22 pounds strapped to their bodies. Both of the females later plead guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute heroin.

Moya will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert D. Thorpe Jr. is prosecuting the case.