Jose Gabriel Mendez, Cocaine and Methamphetamine Conspiracy, Louisiana 2015

LAKE CHARLES, La. – A federal jury has delivered a guilty verdict in a high-profile cocaine and methamphetamine conspiracy case involving a Guatemalan man.

Jose Gabriel Mendez, 35, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The verdict was handed down by a federal jury on Wednesday afternoon, after a two-day trial. United States District Judge Donald E. Walter presided over the trial.

The evidence presented in court showed that Mendez was involved in a traffic stop on October 15, 2014, in which 516 grams of methamphetamine and 15 kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in the door panels and tire jack compartment of a 1996 Dodge Dakota pickup truck he was driving.

Mendez faces a possible sentence of 10 years to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million. His sentencing is set for June 29, 2015.

A co-conspirator of Mendez, Jack Edward Lane, 67, of Brownsville, Texas, had previously pleaded guilty to the drug conspiracy on January 20, 2015, and is set to be sentenced on April 15, 2015.

The DEA and Calcasieu Parish Combined Anti-Drug Task Force conducted the investigation into Mendez’s activities, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David C. Joseph and Howard C. Parker prosecuted the case.

The total value of the cocaine and methamphetamine involved in the conspiracy is estimated at over $1.5 million and $75,000, respectively.

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