Mexican Couple Sentenced for Harrison County Drug Trafficking

MARSHALL, TX—A couple from Mexico currently residing in Marshall, Texas, has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

Julia Flores Saucedo, 33, of Guerrero, Mexico, pleaded guilty on January 20, 2013, to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on August 28, 2013, by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap.

Her common-law husband, Oscar Diaz-Mendoza, 35, of Guerrero, Mexico, pleaded guilty on February 28, 2013, to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on August 28, 2013, Judge Gilstrap.

According to information presented in court, from July 2011 to October 2012, the couple was involved in a conspiracy to possess and distribute methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas. Saucedo admitted to distributing 14.7 grams of methamphetamine on August 24, 2011, in Marshall, Texas. Diaz-Mendoza admitted to distributing 15 grams of methamphetamine on August 4, 2011, in Karnack, Texas.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment on October 3, 2012, charging the couple and Melecio Nunez-Duque with drug trafficking violations. Nunez-Duque pleaded guilty on August 6, 2013, to distributing 59.6 grams of methamphetamine and is awaiting sentencing.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Marshall Police Department, and the Harrison County District Attorney’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Allen Hurst.