Rey David Sonora-Villanueva, a 36-year-old Mexican national from Nueva Rosita, Coahuila, Mexico, has been handed down a nearly 20-year federal prison sentence for drug trafficking offenses. Specifically, he was convicted for trying to smuggle 69.5 kilograms of methamphetamine into the United States. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas reports that the sentence was delivered in a federal court in Del Rio.
The attempted entry through the Eagle Pass Port of Entry on Feb. 26, 2020, led to an inspection by Customs and Border Protection officers, during which the substantial methamphetamine cache was discovered hidden within Sonora-Villanueva's vehicle. Tests later showed that the drugs carried a 98% purity level. Following an indictment on four charges, Sonora-Villanueva pleaded guilty on Jan. 28, 2021, to a single count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, as revealed by court documents.
U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas announced the sentencing. Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection collaborated in the investigation of the Sonora-Villanueva case. Assisting in the prosecution were Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tyler Fleming and James Ward, who oversaw the legal proceedings leading up to the near-two-decade sentencing.
