Huerta-Garcia Gets 17 Years for Cocaine, Guns & Illegal Return

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Jorge Huerta-Garcia, a 31-year-old Mexican citizen, is headed back to federal prison for a lengthy stretch after being sentenced to 204 months for a trifecta of federal crimes: illegal reentry after removal, conspiracy to possess with intent to deliver over five kilograms of cocaine, and possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. U.S. Attorney Nicolas J. Ganjei announced the sentence, a harsh blow to yet another operator attempting to profit from the misery of addiction and disregard U.S. immigration laws.

Huerta-Garcia pleaded guilty to the immigration violations in August 2024 and the drug/firearms charges in March 2025. U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera didn’t mince words, detailing the extent of Huerta-Garcia’s criminal history, including a prior aggravated assault and firearm possession conviction. The court also considered evidence linking Huerta-Garcia to a massive drug conspiracy involving a staggering 643 kilograms of cocaine. This isn’t a first-time offender; this is a repeat player who clearly learned nothing from his previous encounters with the law.

The case began unraveling in March 2024 when Huerta-Garcia was indicted for illegal reentry. Simultaneously, law enforcement was building a case against him as part of a larger drug trafficking organization. The net tightened in September 2024 with additional charges related to the cocaine and firearm possession. The break came on November 28, 2023, in Hidalgo County. Huerta-Garcia, driving a Chevrolet Silverado with Alvino Lozoya-Ramon as a passenger, met with Juan Alberto Monroy-Villanueva in Brownsville. The trio loaded wrapped bundles into the truck, then attempted to flee when law enforcement moved in.

A high-speed chase ensued, culminating in a crash through a ranch gate. Huerta-Garcia bailed, leaving Loyoza-Ramon to be apprehended. A search of the Silverado revealed 39.46 kilograms of cocaine. The investigation quickly revealed Huerta-Garcia’s history: he’d been previously convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm in 2017 and deported from the United States in June 2022. When authorities finally apprehended him in March 2024, they found a loaded AR-10 rifle and a cache of ammunition. He’s been in custody ever since, awaiting transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.

Huerta-Garcia isn’t the only one facing consequences. Alvino Lozoya-Ramon, 56, and Juan Alberto Monroy-Villanueva, 42, both Mexican citizens illegally residing in Weslaco and Brownsville respectively, previously pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to deliver cocaine. Lozoya-Ramon received a 120-month sentence in December 2024, while Monroy-Villanueva was ordered to serve 48 months. These sentences send a clear message: collaboration in this type of criminal enterprise will be met with significant penalties.

The investigation was a joint effort by Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Oscar Ponce prosecuted the case. This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at combating illegal immigration, dismantling cartels, and protecting communities from violent crime, streamlining resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.