Source: United States Department of Justice News
SAN ANTONIO – Five San Antonio men were arrested in San Antonio today on criminal charges related to their alleged roles in a drug trafficking organization.
According to court documents, Cesar Martinez aka Viejito, 66; Bruce Charles Morales, 51; Kelvin Sauls, 41; Juan Alberto Coronado aka Cacheton, 49; and Julio Rodriguez III, 39, were named in a six-count indictment issued by a grand jury earlier this month.
Martinez is charged with all six counts in the indictment, to include conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; conspiracy to commit money laundering; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and two separate counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, Martinez faces punishments of at least 15 years in prison up to life imprisonment.
Morales is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, Morales faces punishments of at least 10 years in prison up to life imprisonment.
Sauls is charged with five counts, to include conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine; conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine; conspiracy to commit money laundering; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine; and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. If convicted, Sauls faces punishments of at least 10 years in prison up to life imprisonment.
Coronado is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he faces punishment of at least five years up to 60 years in prison.
Rodriguez is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute detectable quantities of cocaine and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, he faces punishment up to 40 years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux for the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Houston Field Office made the announcement.
The DEA is investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Nowinski is prosecuting the case.
This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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