Large-Scale Drug Traffickers Convicted by Federal Jury

EL PASO, Texas – A federal jury convicted two men Tuesday of multiple counts of drug trafficking. Additionally, one of the defendants was convicted of domestic and international money laundering.

Jorge Sanchez-Morales aka “Capulina,” 47, was convicted of two counts of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute; two counts of Conspiracy to Import a Controlled Substance; one count of Conspiracy to Commit International Money Laundering; and one count of Conspiracy to Commit Domestic Money Laundering.

Luis Reyes-Perez aka “Cubano,” 51, was convicted of one count of Conspiracy to Possess a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute, and one count of Conspiracy to Import a Controlled Substance.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Sanchez-Morales ran a large-scale drug trafficking organization, spanning from Mexico to El Paso and on to Atlanta, from 2002 to 2019. In the early 2000s, Sanchez-Morales worked out of Atlanta, trafficking cocaine and other drugs with Sinaloa Cartel operatives.

In 2014, Sanchez-Morales returned to Mexico to run his organization, which would then primarily traffic methamphetamine, often in liquid form. The liquid methamphetamine would cross the border from Juarez, Mexico into El Paso, and then was transported to Atlanta in semi tractors.  The liquid methamphetamine would be poured into one of the semi-tractor’s fuel tanks that had been disconnected from the truck’s fuel system and then converted to crystalline form once it arrived in Atlanta. Sanchez-Morales was at this time affiliated with Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, and oversaw the operation.

Reyes-Perez was one of the truck drivers who transported the liquid methamphetamine from El Paso to Atlanta and was responsible for the delivery of several hundred gallons of the highly addictive substance.

U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas; Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Greg Millard; and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Frank Burrola made the announcement.

The DEA, HSI, United States Border Patrol, El Paso Sheriff’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and Socorro Police Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven Spitzer and Nathan Brown prosecuted the case.

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