Member of Los Zetas criminal organization sentenced in San Antonio to 15 years in federal prison for cocaine trafficking

SAN ANTONIO — A member of Los Zetas criminal organization was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in federal prison for trafficking hundreds of kilograms of cocaine.

This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Richard Durbin, Western District of Texas. This case resulted from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) San Antonio group comprised of investigators from the following agencies: U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Criminal Investigation, San Antonio Police Department, Hollywood Park (Texas) Police Department, and Bexar County (Texas) Sheriff’s Office.

Sergio Heredia, aka Keko, aka Sobrino, of Piedras Negras, Mexico, was sentenced Jan. 26 to 180 months in federal prison. Heredia pleaded guilty in August 2015 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. By pleading guilty, Heredia admitted that from January 2007 to May 2015, he conspired with others to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine in the United States.

According to court documents, Heredia and others trafficked cocaine and marijuana for distribution in San Antonio and Fort Worth, Texas, and elsewhere. The drug trafficking was done, in part, through a San Antonio-based network of drug distributors and money launderers led by Walter Jacobo, 34, of San Antonio. This investigation revealed that the source of drug supply to Jacobo’s organization, as well as several other organizations involved in this scheme, was the Los Zetas Cartel. Together, they trafficked more than 180,000 pounds of marijuana, hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, in excess of $18 million in U.S. currency, dozens of firearms, and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

This investigation resulted in the conviction of 18 individuals on federal charges. Twelve have been sentenced, and six remain in custody pending sentencing. The awarded sentences range from 20 years in federal prison to probation.

On Jan. 19, 2017, Jacobo was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release for his role in the scheme.

Western District of Texas prosecuted this case.