HOUSTON – In a significant blow to the Texas Mexican Mafia, a high-ranking member has pleaded guilty to heroin distribution charges. Eric Gomez, aka Valla, 37, of San Antonio, a general in the notorious prison gang, admitted to his role in the distribution of heroin.
According to court records, Gomez was charged along with 25 members or associates of the Texas Mexican Mafia with trafficking in heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as firearms violations, distributing explosive materials, and violent crimes in aid of racketeering in October 2012.
The Texas Mexican Mafia formed in the early 1980s in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Over a four-year period from 2008 through October 2012, the gang procured illegal drugs and distributed them to numerous associates involved in drug trafficking to carry out the business of the gang.
Gomez himself facilitated the sale of 5.5 kilograms of heroin to an FBI confidential source from December 2011 to January 2013. The gang made money by trafficking heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine, as well as selling firearms.
Today’s plea is one of several that have already occurred in the case. Among those who have entered pleas of guilty include Robert Arechiga, 35, Francisco Galvan, 46, Alexander Garcia, 40, George Maldonado, 46, Carlos Romero, 31, Juan Sarmientos, 46, Valentin Ayala-Gutierrez, 53, Gilbert Gonzalez, 42, Jose Cerda, 27, and Enrique Bravo, 39, all of Houston; Ruben Esparza, 35, of Robstown; Jorge Montemayor, 37, and Michael Villarreal, 33, both of Baytown; Alvin Valadez, 42, of Seguin; and Ernesto Villarreal, 36, of Corpus Christi.
U.S. District Judge Nancy Atlas has accepted all the guilty pleas in the case and has set sentencing for Gomez for Dec. 2, 2013, at 2:00 p.m. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment up to a possibility of life as well as a $10 million fine.
The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice-Office of Inspector General, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, police departments in Baytown and Houston, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorneys Tim S. Braley and Mark Donnelly are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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