Defendant Sentenced for Marijuana Trafficking

BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A Brownsville man has been sentenced to federal prison for his involvement in a 1,000 pound marijuana load, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson.

Jesus Mauricio Juarez Jr., 27, aka Flaco, pleaded guilty in November 2013 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana. Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Hilda G. Tagle sentenced Juarez to 31 months in federal prison.

Juarez was involved in a conspiracy with several other individuals, including Ruben Gonzalez-Cavazos, aka Mume, who was sentenced to 47 months in federal prison and assessed a $15,000 fine on Feb. 3, 2014. Francisco Javier Maya, 35, was convicted on all counts at trial and will be sentenced on May 13, 2014. Adolfo Lozano-Luna, aka Chefero, 35, and Alberto Martinez, aka El Diablo, 50, also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced at a later date.

Evidence presented at Maya’s trial placed all five men in a conspiracy involving a 1,000 pound marijuana load, which was forcibly hijacked from them by unknown individuals on Dec. 11, 2012. One month later, Juarez was injured after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated at his residence in Brownsville.

According to court records, the defendants were involved in a marijuana trafficking organization that transported loads of marijuana to locations including Houston and Taylor. Juarez, Gonzalez-Cavazos, and Maya would share in the profits of each successful marijuana load. At the direction of Juarez, Maya provided bank account numbers associated with him and Gonzalez-Cavazos to deposit drug profits.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Brownsville Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Angel Castro and Jody Young.

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