Manuel Camilo Renteria Lemus, Cocaine Trafficking, Texas 2020

A Colombian national was sentenced to nearly three decades in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas.

Manuel Camilo Renteria Lemus, 37, pleaded guilty on November 16, 2020, to conspiracy to manufacture and distribute cocaine knowing it would be imported into the United States and distribution of cocaine knowing it would be imported into the United States.

Lemus was sentenced to 327 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant, III.

The sentence reflects how seriously the United States takes the importation of narcotics into our nation, said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

The investigation revealed that Lemus was the head of the Panamanian cell of the Clan Del Golfo (CDG) Cartel operating in Colombia, Panama, and elsewhere.

Lemus was responsible for receiving maritime shipments of cocaine in Palmira, conducting enforcement operations, and collecting taxes and tributes for the CDG.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx/pr/colombian-national-and-cartel-member-sentenced-eastern-district-texas-conspiracy-import