Jose Mercedes Saucedo-Guerrero, Meth Trafficking, Texas 2024

A twice-deported Mexican national is heading to federal prison after a massive methamphetamine bust in East Texas.

a 34-year-old Longview resident, Jose Mercedes Saucedo-Guerrero, was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on June 23, 2025, for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy.

According to court documents, Saucedo-Guerrero was stopped for a traffic violation in Kilgore on May 2, 2024. During the stop, officers deployed a K9 to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle, resulting in a positive alert for the presence of a controlled substance.

A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 2,972 grams of methamphetamine hidden inside. Further investigation revealed that Saucedo-Guerrero was unlawfully present in the United States after having been previously prosecuted and deported on two separate occasions for immigration crimes.

The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at repelling the invasion of illegal immigration, eliminating cartels, and protecting communities from violent crime.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kilgore Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek prosecuted the case.