Alexis Estevez-Alvarez, Marijuana Trafficking, Texas 2003

Long Time Fugitive Ordered To Federal Prison

McALLEN, Texas – Alexis Estevez-Alvarez, 46, of Havana, Cuba, has finally met justice after almost a decade on the run.

A jury convicted Estevez-Alvarez of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and failure to appear following a less than two-day trial in 2013. U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced him to 110 months for the drug conviction and 20 months for the failure to appear conviction, to be served consecutively for a total sentence of 130 months in federal prison.

The case began in 2003 when two former deputies with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office approached a residence in Mercedes seeking consent to search the residence. They found 42 bundles of marijuana totaling 671 kilograms in a shed next to a pre-fabricated house on the property.

Estevez-Alvarez claimed he lived on the property with his wife and another friend for approximately four months. However, the government proved that while a fugitive for 10 years, Estevez-Alvarez was able to work and live in both Weslaco and Nuevo Progreso, Tamaulipas, Mexico, as well as maintain a relationship with his now ex-wife.

The defense argued that unknown individuals had ‘control’ of Estevez-Alvarez that prevented him from showing up to court in 2003 and that it was fear of retribution from these individuals that kept him from court over the past decade. The jury disagreed, finding him guilty on both counts as charged.

Estevez-Alvarez will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The investigation was conducted by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Juan F. Alanis is prosecuting the case.

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