EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Seven members of a violent Texas gang will spend a combined 137 years in prison after pleading guilty to a cocaine trafficking conspiracy this month, the Department of Justice said.
The members of Partido Revolucionario Mexicano, or PRM, used social media apps and cellphones to distribute kilos of cocaine between March 2019 and June 2021 in Del Rio and Eagle Pass, Texas, according to an unsealed federal indictment.
Many pleaded guilty to charges beginning in 2022. A federal judge sentenced the defendants between June 5 and June 17, court records show.
“This criminal conspiracy extends way beyond the bounds of narcotics distribution. PRM is a violent prison gang that operates on both sides the U.S.-Mexico border,” U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas said in a statement on Wednesday.
Those sentenced this month include Victor Hinojosa, aka Zuko, 35; Jesus Espinoza, 33; Francisco Espinoza, 29; and Danny Suarez, 41.
Hinojosa is an alleged sergeant in the PRM who sold cocaine on multiple occasions to undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agents; Suarez, Jesus Espinoza and Francisco Espinoza allegedly supplied him the cocaine, authorities alleged in court filings.
Others arrested in connection with the buys include 64-year-old Martha Gonzalez Ritchie; Ernesto Magdaleno, 56; and Armando Ramirez, 36.
Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses sentenced Hinojosa and Ritchie to 30 years in prison each. Jesus Espinoza received a 17-year, six-month sentence while Francisco Espinoza got 19.5 years. Magdaleno and Ramirez received 14-year sentences and Suarez will serve 12 years, the DOJ said.
At least nine other individuals are being prosecuted or have already pleaded guilty to charges stemming from PRM activity under a DEA and FBI-led investigation dubbed Operation Tequila Sunset, the DOJ said.
PRM is a gang born inside Texas prisons. Most of its members are Mexican citizens who committed crimes in the United States, were deported and came back to continue organized criminal activities in Texas, according to Stop San Antonio Gangs, an online portal supported by state and federal agencies.
The gang began extending membership to U.S. citizens to continue money-making activities even if other members are deported, according to the coalition. Federal agencies like the U.S. Border Patrol have linked PRM associates to Mexico’s Gulf cartel.
“These PRM members who have been convicted and sentenced should reemphasize to other narco-terrorists the level of our resolve when it comes to the eradication of transnational criminal organizations and providing safer border communities,” Simmons added.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner.
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