Former Tri City Bomber Gets 20 Years in Federal Prison

HOUSTON—Jeffrey Juarez, the one-time leader of the notorious Tri City Bomber (TCB) street gang, has been sent to federal prison for his conviction of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and ecstasy, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today along with and Armando Fernandez, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Division. Juarez entered a plea of guilty on September 6, 2012.

Today, U.S. District Judge Gray Miller, who accepted the guilty plea, handed Juarez a 240-month term of federal imprisonment, which will be followed by five years of supervised release.

“The punishment imposed today reflects our efforts to disrupt and dismantle an entire criminal enterprise up to and including its leadership,” said Magidson. “We will not waiver in our determination to diminish gang crime and hold those accountable for their illegal actions.

Juarez, aka “Dragon” and “Tira,” 35, of Sugar Land, along with 12 fellow gang members were indicted February 2011 following a four-year long investigation. Following today’s hearing, all have now been convicted and sentenced.

Juarez led the TCB gang, which made money by trafficking in cocaine and other drugs and by providing protection services for drug loads.

“Today’s sentencing is a clear message to all organized crime leaders that the safety of our communities will always be more important than your criminal enterprise,” said Fernandez, “and that our team work will always prevail.”

In October 2008, Juarez agreed the gang would provide protection for loads of cocaine traveling through South Texas for money. Unknown to Juarez, however, the loads were controlled by the FBI. Thereafter, Juarez, aided by other members or associates of the TCB gang provided protection for eight loads of cocaine loaded into a vehicle by the FBI. Juarez was paid for his services after each load and each transport was monitored by video and audio recording.

During this same time frame, Juarez sold approximately 388 Ecstasy pills to an FBI confidential source on numerous occasions.

The TCB gang was formed in the early 1980s in the Pharr, San Juan, and Alamo areas of South Texas. An organized group with mandatory specific rules and regulations knows as Las Reglas to endure loyalty and participation of gang members in criminal activity, the TCB also has a decision making hierarchy including a person in charge in each city and persons holding positions within the organization including president, generals, captains, lieutenants, sergeants, soldiers, and prospects. “Prospects” are those in the process of becoming TCB members. Non-members who do business with or perform work for the TCB are referred to as “associates.”

TCB membership is for life, and many of the members have tattoos such as “TCB,” a necklace tattoo made of small bombs, a 1939 Chevy Bomb car, three high-rise buildings, or “39,” which present their membership and allegiance to the TCB. Members pay monthly fees to support incarcerated members and to further the illegal activity of the gang.

Juarez has been in custody since his arrest, where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

This investigation was led by agents and officers from the FBI, assisted by the United States Border Patrol, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department, Texas Department of Public Safety, McAllen Police Department, and Mission Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Tim S. Braley and Mark Donnelly prosecuted the case.