South Texas man sentenced to nearly 20 years for leading marijuana conspiracy

MCALLEN, Texas — A south Texas man was sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison Monday following his convictions on conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute large amounts of marijuana.

This sentence was 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) along with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Rogelio Guerrero, 46, a U.S. citizen residing in Mission, Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez to 235 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. Guerrero was found guilty of the charges July 11 following a three-day trial.

During the trial, the government presented testimony that Guerrero and his associates used tractor-trailers to transport large quantities of marijuana from Mission to Houston. The jury heard that Guerrero’s drivers transported between 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of marijuana to Houston every few weeks. The government also presented evidence that Guerrero owned nearly 10,000 pounds of marijuana that was seized in 2011.

Guerrero was ultimately convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and possession with intent to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Guerrero’s conviction is a culmination of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation dubbed “White Line.” To date, there have been about 30 other convictions in relation to this investigation. The six-year investigation, targeting Guerrero and other significant drug traffickers, was based out of Mission.