Guadalupe Reyes, a/k/a “Lupe,” 49, of Etter, Texas, is headed to federal prison for 188 months after admitting his role in a sprawling marijuana trafficking operation that flooded midwestern states with thousands of pounds of pot. Reyes pleaded guilty in June 2016 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. The sentence was handed down today by U.S. District Judge Sidney A. Fitzwater in Amarillo.
Reyes’ criminal enterprise unraveled in November 2014 when Cactus Police responded to a report of gunfire at a residence he owned in Cactus, Texas. Officers secured consent to search the property and discovered more than $130,000 in cash stashed inside. The tenant, a key courier in the operation, confessed that the money was proceeds from marijuana sales—hauling it back from Wichita and Topeka, Kansas, after delivering loads from Texas.
The driver, working under direct orders from Reyes and co-defendant Marco Saucedo, 45, of Cactus, admitted to making roughly 10 cross-state runs delivering an estimated 8,000 pounds of marijuana to buyers in Kansas and Ohio. On at least four trips, he returned with approximately $400,000 in cash, which he stored at the Cactus house until Reyes or associates retrieved it. Communications were tightly controlled—only prepaid cell phones were allowed.
Saucedo was sentenced in September 2016 to 48 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of unlawful use of a communications facility. His role centered on coordinating drug logistics and ensuring operational secrecy, helping shield the network from law enforcement scrutiny.
Recorded conversations from November 2014 captured Reyes expressing concern that authorities might seize his assets, a fear now realized. In addition to his prison term, Reyes must forfeit multiple real estate parcels in Moore County, Texas, properties believed to have been used in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long and investigated by an interagency task force including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Moore County Sheriff’s Office, and Cactus Police Department under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas announced the sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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