9 south Texas drug-smuggling members sentenced following 'Panama Unit' investigation

MCALLEN, Texas — Nine people were sentenced to federal prison Nov. 13 for their roles in a drug trafficking organization that distributed thousands of kilograms of marijuana and hundreds of kilograms of cocaine throughout the southern United States.

These sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

This investigation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Criminal Investigation, and Texas Department of Public Safety’s (DPS) Rangers Division

On Nov. 13, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced the leader of a high-profile drug smuggling organization, Tomas Reyes Gonzalez aka “El Gallo,” 37, to 120 months in federal prison. Reyes Gonzalez was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute narcotics along with Eloy Gonzalez, 40, Hector Rodriguez Sr., 61, Federico Rodriguez, 27, Jamail Thomas, 34, and William Champion Gonzalez, 22, all of Weslaco, Texas. Reyes Gonzalez also pleaded to one count of conspiring to launder money. Gonzalez, Rodriguez Sr., Rodriguez, Thomas and Champion Gonzalez will serve respective sentences of 120, 57, 57, 70 and 40 months.

Also sentenced Nov. 13 was Jose A. Padilla, 54, of Weslaco, a former deputy commander with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office who served under the leadership of former Sheriff Guadalupe Trevino, aka Lupe Trevino. Padilla pleaded guilty to receiving a bribe and was sentenced to38 months in prison.

The 12th and final defendant charged in this case, Omar Fidencio Rojas, 33, of Weslaco, was convicted after a four-day jury trial in July 2014 of three counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and seven counts of money laundering. He was sentenced to 180 months for narcotics trafficking and 120 months for money laundering; both sentences will run concurrently. He was also required to pay a $300,000 fine.

According to court documents, the investigation revealed that from 2007 to 2013, Reyes Gonzalez headed a drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing thousands of kilograms of marijuana and hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. The narcotics were transported from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas to Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Reyes Gonzalez used the resulting drug proceeds to purchase properties.

At the time of his guilty plea, Padilla admitted he received cash from Reyes Gonzalez in exchange for providing information to him related to ongoing law enforcement activities.

In a separate case, Trevino, 65, of McAllen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering. He admitted he received cash contributions for his election campaign through Padilla from Reyes Gonzalez, acknowledging he accepted the money knowing it was from illegal activities. He admitted he accepted the monies directly and through others as donations to assist with his 2012 election campaign. Some of the monies received were subsequently deposited into bank accounts that Trevino controlled and were comingled with other funds. During and after the transactions, Trevino and others acted to disguise and conceal the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the currency by filing false Candidate/Officeholder Campaign Finance Reports and producing other documents.

Trevino was sentenced July 17 to 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez.  

Trevino’s former chief of staff and campaign treasurer, Maria Patricia Medina, 40, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony in yet another case, admitting she assisted Trevino in concealing the donations by falsifying election records. She was sentenced in late July to 11 months by Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Sturgis and Anibal Alaniz, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.