Mexican Citizen Previously Convicted of Drug Trafficking Sentenced to a Year for Illegally Reentering U.S.

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Eli Torres-Banos, 36, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to a year in federal prison for illegally reentering the United States. Torres-Banos pleaded guilty to this charge on March 15, 2024.

In 2009, Torres-Banos was convicted in this district of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Following the completion of a one-year federal prison sentence, Torres-Banos was removed from the United States to Mexico. As a condition of his removal, Torres-Banos was ordered to not reenter the United States.

On June 7, 2023, Torres-Banos was arrested for a misdemeanor traffic offense in Jefferson County, Wisconsin. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement became aware of Torres-Banos’s illegal presence in the country following a fingerprint match during the booking process.

On December 6, 2023, Torres-Banos was arrested in Jefferson County following his indictment in this case. During the arrest, law enforcement found 8.5 kilograms of cocaine in a vehicle associated with Torres-Banos. He was indicted for the cocaine found during the December 6th arrest and that case is scheduled for trial on September 23, 2024. Torres-Banos is presumed innocent of the cocaine charge unless proven guilty.

At sentencing, Judge Peterson said that Torres-Banos’s prior federal conviction was an aggravating factor in determining a sentence.

The charge against Torres-Banos was the result of an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and Steven C. Ayala prosecuted this case.