Traffickers with ties to Mexican drug cartel sentenced to prison
TAMPA, Fla. – Two Tampa men were sentenced Thursday for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Mario Manzur Reyes, 31, of Tampa, was sentenced to five years and ten months in federal prison and Santos Rene Herrera-Cruz, 50, of Tampa was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment.
“Trafficking methamphetamine is a serious offense and a danger to our communities,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Tampa. “HSI, together with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, is committed to combating the menace posed by illegal substances.”
According to court documents, Reyes oversaw the delivery of more than 16 pounds of highly pure methamphetamine from Laredo, Texas to the Tampa area. The methamphetamine had a street value of at least $250,000. Reyes, who was affiliated with a drug cartel operating out of Michoacán, Mexico, arranged for the drugs to be picked up March 10, 2014, by one of his customers at a truck stop on U.S. 301. The customer, in turn, hired Herrera-Cruz to take possession of the shipment for him. Both men pleaded guilty in September 2014.
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