McALLEN, Texas – In a shocking turn of events, 20-year-old Hector Reyes Jr. from Mission has been ordered to federal prison for attempting to intimidate witnesses and a federal officer, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Reyes pleaded guilty on March 18, 2024, facing charges of obstructing justice by threatening communication and assault on a federal officer. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced him to serve 30 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release.
Hamdani made it clear that his office has zero tolerance for such tactics: “The Gulf Cartel is a brutal and violent organization, one that this office seeks to disrupt and dismantle. There is no patience when criminals like Reyes use the cartels to intimidate law enforcement and witnesses. We take such attempts seriously and will vigorously pursue those who seek to subvert our system of justice.”
Reyes admitted to uploading a threatening message from Commandante Siete, a high-ranking member of the Gulf Cartel, on SnapChat. This message, transmitted via handheld radios used by the cartel, warned certain individuals to stand down while they still had time. His intention was to intimidate those searching for his father and anyone cooperating with law enforcement.
Adding to his transgressions, Reyes spat at a federal officer in the courthouse parking lot after a detention hearing for another individual. He also boasted to his father during a jail house phone call that the agent had been scared due to statements made at the hearing.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and IRS Criminal Investigation as part of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Cook Profit and Ted Parran prosecuted the case. For more information about OCDETF, visit the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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