Eustorgio Quiroz-Salto, 41, a Mexican national, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for drug trafficking and illegal firearm possession. He pleaded guilty on July 11, 2024, admitting to a conspiracy to distribute 116 kilograms of methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett also ordered the forfeiture of firearms and ammunition seized during the case. Quiroz-Salto was previously convicted of cocaine trafficking in 2011, removed from the United States in 2007 and 2008, and reentered illegally. He is expected to face deportation after completing his sentence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Special Agent in Charge Jonathan C. Pullen of the DEA – Houston Division said, "Not only was Quiroz-Salto in the country illegally, but when Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents arrested him, they uncovered a substantial amount of methamphetamine destined for our communities," as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. "He was caught in the act, selling deadly drugs near a place of worship, and now he'll spend two decades behind bars paying the price for his reckless actions that threatened to destroy lives."
On December 12, 2023, Juan Carlos Quiroz-Salto was arrested in a church parking lot in Crosby with more than 20 kilograms of methamphetamine, along with Manuel Varjas Corona. A search of Quiroz-Salto’s home led to the discovery of additional drugs, 12 firearms, a silencer, 351 rounds of ammunition, and firearm parts. Quiroz-Salto remains in custody and will be transferred to a federal prison. Corona, a 51-year-old Mexican national living in Houston, pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing, which could include up to life in prison. The investigation involved the DEA, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and Houston Police Department, and the case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley J. Sullivan, as stated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
