Federal Prison Sentences Handed Down to El Paso Drug Smuggling Organization Tied to the Barrio Aztecas
| U.S. Attorney’s Office July 08, 2010 |
United States Attorney John E. Murphy announced that in El Paso yesterday afternoon, 36-year-old Gualberto Marquez, a member of the Barrio Azteca Criminal Enterprise and leader of drug distribution network based in El Paso, was sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiring to distribute more than 200 kilograms of cocaine.
Other defendants sentenced for their roles in the criminal enterprise include:
- Jaime Velasco—to life in federal prison;
- Jaime Castrejon—to 240 months in federal prison;
- Michael Torres—to 240 months in federal prison;
- Jose Montes—to 210 months in federal prison;
- Javier Soto—to 200 months in federal prison;
- Felipe Davila—to 60 months in federal prison;
- Lee Villegas—to 41 months in federal prison; and,
- Gilberto Sanchez Porras—to 37 months in federal prison
From June 2007 until May 2009, Marquez supplied cocaine to his co-defendants who were responsible for distributing it throughout the El Paso and Midland areas.
This case was investigated by agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation together with investigators from the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office and the El Paso Police Department.