Texas Syndicate Boss Cruz Perez Pleads Guilty to Drug Conspiracy

LUBBOCK, Texas — Cruz Perez, a/k/a “Travieso,” 40, admitted in federal court yesterday to leading a sprawling drug trafficking conspiracy that pumped methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana across West Texas. The Texas Syndicate member pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Gordon Bryant to charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, marking the end of a two-year investigation that dismantled a violent criminal network.

Perez now faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison, along with a potential $5 million fine. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. As the lead defendant in the case, his guilty plea closes the book on the final conviction in a sweeping indictment that targeted nine individuals, including three other known Texas Syndicate members.

The arrests began in early June 2016, when DEA and Texas Department of Public Safety agents, backed by local law enforcement in Big Spring, Sundown, and Levelland, as well as the Howard and Lubbock County Sheriff’s Offices, U.S. Marshals, and Homeland Security Investigations, moved in on the operation. The investigation revealed a tightly organized hierarchy, with Perez at the top, directing distribution and managing debt owed for prior drug shipments.

According to court filings, on October 3, 2015, Perez arranged the delivery of at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. He coordinated via phone and text with Christopher Lee Gonzalez, aka “Gonzo,” 43, discussing a $21,000 debt and market competition from cheaper, higher-quality meth. Perez instructed his nephew, Jose Gutierrez, III, aka “Baby Joey,” 21, to transport the drugs, while Alexander Alfonzo Mendoza, aka “Alex,” 20, stored the narcotics at his residence.

That evening, surveillance agents tracked Gutierrez’s 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe from Lamesa to Lubbock. At 8:35 p.m., Texas Highway Patrol stopped the vehicle and seized approximately 500 grams of methamphetamine. Minutes later, Gutierrez’s wife called Perez twice—first to say ‘Joey’ got pulled over, then confirming he was in jail ‘with the stuff.’ By 9:11 p.m., Perez called Evan Cruz Parson, aka “Evan,” 21, to warn, ‘Baby Joey went to jail.’ At 9:23 p.m., he told Gonzalez, ‘He didn’t make it.’

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Juanita Fielden and Sean Long. Other convicted co-conspirators include Victor Manuel Castillo, aka “Victor Manuel Garza,” 43; Christopher David Gonzales, aka “Chris,” 41; Jasmine Pillar Hernandez, aka “Crazy,” 32; and Crystal Dimas, aka “Babe,” 28. The investigation was led by the DEA and Texas Department of Public Safety, underscoring the federal crackdown on prison-gang-affiliated drug operations in rural Texas.

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