Four Sentenced In San Antonio Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos Methamphetamine Trafficking Case

In San Antonio today, Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra sentenced four individuals for their roles in a San Antonio methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy announced United States Attorney Robert Pitman and San Antonio Police Chief William McManus.

Judge Ezra sentenced 37-year-old Serafin Villanueva, an active member of the Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos (HPL), to 130 months in federal prison; 27-year-old James Lopez to 70 months in federal prison; 46-year-old Gilbert Guzman to 50 months in federal prison; and 26-year-old Felisha Salinas to five years of probation. 

Previously, all four defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance from September 2012, until January 2013.    Court documents reveal that in September 2012, investigators with the San Antonio Police Department Gang and Intelligence Units began investigating the defendants and others connected to a methamphetamine distribution network operating out of the custom paint and auto body shop, A-1 Kustom. 

On January 28, 2013, investigators arrested Guzman, Salinas, Lopez and Villanueva following a drug transaction and seized approximately 80 grams of methamphetamine. 

In a separate, but related indictment, 41-year-old Andres Sanchez, a high ranking HPL member, was sentenced last week to 63 months in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. 

Assistant United States Attorney David Shearer prosecuted this case on behalf of the Government.