Alberto Lopez, Marijuana Conspiracy Using Boats, Texas 2013

Defendant Sentenced in Marijuana Conspiracy Case

Corpus Christi, Texas – In a federal court hearing yesterday, Alberto Lopez, aka Alberto Lopez-Reyna, 40, of Roma, was ordered to prison for nearly seven years for his role in a massive marijuana conspiracy. The crime involved the transportation of large amounts of marijuana concealed in the hulls of altered shallow-bottom fishing boats from Port Mansfield to Corpus Christi via the intra-coastal waterway.

Lopez entered into a written plea agreement on January 30, 2013, and was subsequently sentenced to 80 months in prison by Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack. He will also be required to serve a term of five years of supervised release following completion of the prison term.

According to court documents, from November 2010 until his arrest in December 2012, Lopez facilitated the transportation of marijuana-laden vessels through the intra-coastal waterway, attempting to circumvent United States Border Patrol checkpoints in Falfurrias and Sarita.

Lopez admitted to supplying various loads of marijuana over the course of the conspiracy and mapping out boat docks in the Corpus Christi area that would be used to retrieve the marijuana-laden vessels for further transportation to Houston.

The government detailed how four loads of marijuana were intercepted and a total of 1,600 kilograms of marijuana were seized over the last two years. Lopez’s role in the conspiracy was significant, as he played a key part in supplying marijuana and navigating the boats through the intra-coastal waterway.

Members of the conspiracy who served as drivers include Lombardo Zarate, 50, Rogelio Mendoza, 38, Glen Dial, 57, Luz Ramirez, 26, and Hector Perez-Gonzales, 40, all of whom have previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judges in Corpus Christi and have either been sentenced to terms of imprisonment at the Bureau of Prisons.

Lopez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. This case is the result of a two-year investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Kingsville Narcotics Task force. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey D. Preston is prosecuting the case.

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