La Quarenta gang drug dealers sent to prison for poly-drug conspiracy

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Two Corpus Christi men have been ordered to federal prison for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute meth, heroin and cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Ricky Reyna, 36, and Jayden Wandell Coleman, 20, pleaded guilty Oct. 20, 2021, and Jan. 27, 2022, respectfully.  

Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered Reyna to serve a total of 300 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Reyna, a member of the La Quarenta street gang, ran a 24/7 narcotics storefront that sold heroin, meth, cocaine, crack-cocaine and synthetic marijuana.

Coleman was previously sentenced April 20, 2022, and was ordered to serve a 121-month term of imprisonment. A fourth member of the conspiracy, Fernando Martinez, 44, also pleaded guilty on Nov. 23, 2021, and is scheduled to be sentenced March 15.

“Today’s sentence sends a strong message that our office will relentlessly work toward dismantling and disrupting local street gangs such as La Quarenta,” said Hamdani. “Criminal activity in our community is all too often fueled by drug traffickers, particularly those affiliated with these such groups.”

The investigation began in September 2020. It revealed the narcotics trafficking organization used a Corpus Christi residence on Cortez Street to distribute meth, heroin, crack and marijuana. Authorities observed Reyna, Martinez, and Coleman entering and exiting the drug stash house as various times and directing people to the residence. The conspiracy spanned from Sept. 6, 2020 to Aug. 26, 2021.

Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement observed a high amount of foot traffic approach and enter the residence, stay for a few minutes and then exit the area. Traffic stops resulted in the seizure of narcotics they had obtained from the drug stash house.

Authorities also executed search warrants at four residences and a storage yard in August 2021. They ultimately found a total of over five kilograms of cocaine, over four kilograms of meth, more than two kilograms of heroin; nearly 200 grams of crack and 13 kilograms of marijuana and over a hundred thousand dollars, digital scales, a drug ledger, and loaded firearms and ammunition.

The investigation further revealed the men were in communication with each other regarding the purchase and sale of various narcotics for the duration of the conspiracy.

“The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) would like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations, Corpus Christi Police Department’s Gang Unit and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for their continued partnership and commitment to combating violent crime,” said Special Agent in Fred Milanowski. “As a result of our joint efforts, members of this criminal organization will no longer threaten our communities with their brazen acts of illegal activity.”

“Today’s sentencing is another step in the right direction in our collective effort to root out and eradicate the trafficking of illicit narcotics in the Corpus Christi community by gangs and other criminal elements, but there is much more work to do,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Mario Trevino, HSI - Corpus Christi. “HSI will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue anyone who traffics these deadly substances to keep them from poisoning our children and destroying our local communities.”

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

Homeland Security Investigations and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations and Corpus Christi Police Department’s Gang Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Marck prosecuted the case.