Jose Manuel Zuniga, Cocaine Conspiracy, Texas 2011

Convicted Drug Kingpin Receives 24-Year Sentence in Houston.

Houston, Texas – In a major blow to the city’s illicit narcotics trade, Jose Manuel Zuniga, a 42-year-old Mexican National, has been sent to federal prison for his conviction on one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.

According to court records, Zuniga entered a guilty plea on June 17, 2011, and was subsequently sentenced to a total of 292 months, or 24 years, in federal prison to be followed by a five-year-term of supervised release.

The harsh sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. after Zuniga was deemed a supervisor of criminal activity involving five or more participants.

Zuniga’s crime spree began in January 2006 and continued until November 2010, during which time he worked for an organization based in Mexico that transported and distributed cocaine into the United States and returned the proceeds to Mexico.

As a key player in the organization, Zuniga relied on his co-defendants for the success of his enterprise and was responsible for arranging drivers in the Houston area to transport cocaine to different parts of the United States, including Georgia, Arkansas, Alabama, and Missouri.

During the period of the conspiracy, Zuniga was responsible for distributing over 260 kilograms of the schedule II controlled substance cocaine.

In a related development, four others have been convicted in relation to this case, with sentences ranging from 70 to 120 months.

Zuniga has been in federal custody without bond since his arrest and will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The case was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and was investigated by the FBI and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation.

Assistant United States Attorney Stuart A. Burns is prosecuting the case.

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