A co-founder of Houston’s Sauce Factory record collective has admitted he was not just in the music business, but in the drug business too. On Thursday, 36-year-old Antonio Hopkins-Yezeno pleaded guilty in federal court to a drug-trafficking charge, acknowledging that he sold large quantities of marijuana and meth in undercover buys and that he was caught with a stash of meth pills after a traffic stop.
According to his plea agreement, Hopkins-Yezeno admitted selling roughly 1,700 grams of marijuana and more than 1,000 grams of methamphetamine in a series of controlled buys in 2021, and possessing nearly 1,200 grams of pills containing meth. The conviction carries a statutory minimum of 10 years in prison, and the judge could go much higher at sentencing. His sentencing hearing is set for June 2026.
Federal prosecutors laid out the drug quantities and specific conduct in court filings. In exchange for the guilty plea, they agreed to drop an additional charge and signaled they may recommend a reduced sentence to U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett, details first reported by the Houston Chronicle.
Wiretaps, Cross-Country Shipments And A Sweeping Takedown
Investigators say the federal case traces back to 2020, when the FBI secured a court order to wiretap phones and track suspected marijuana shipments moving between Houston and Los Angeles. Those quiet recordings and surveillance runs eventually turned into a full-scale operation.
In December 2022, agents and officers launched an early-morning sweep that rounded up alleged members of the Sauce Factory network, an enforcement push covered at the time by FOX 26 Houston. Federal authorities later followed those arrests with drug and weapons charges tied to the same investigation.
From Houston Label To Federal Docket
The Sauce Factory began life in 2014 as a Houston record label, founded by rapper Albert Mondane, better known as Sauce Walka, and Michael Cordell Henry. Over the years, law enforcement authorities have argued that some members stepped well beyond music and into organized criminal activity.
In court, an FBI agent testified that Hopkins-Yezeno was “one of the founders” of the collective. Henry, who was arrested in the 2022 sweep, later pleaded guilty to possessing more than 500 grams of meth and received a 10-year federal prison sentence, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Mandatory Minimums, High Ceilings And A Long Wait
Federal law sets stiff penalties once drug quantities hit certain thresholds, and Hopkins-Yezeno’s admitted conduct easily clears those bars. Under 21 U.S.C. § 841, a conviction involving the meth and marijuana amounts described in his plea can bring a sentence of no less than 10 years in prison and up to life, fines as high as $10 million for an individual, and a mandatory term of supervised release, as outlined by Cornell Law's LII.
How much time Hopkins-Yezeno ultimately serves will depend on federal sentencing guidelines, any credit he receives for accepting responsibility, and the government’s recommendation. That decision now rests with Judge Bennett, who will take it all up at the June 2026 sentencing hearing.
