A 42-year-old Mexican national was sentenced to 262 months in federal prison for conspiracy to import methamphetamine. Pedro Alvarado-Montiel, known on the street as “Pelon,” now faces nearly 22 years behind bars after a case that began with a routine traffic stop in Bastrop County.
According to the U.S. Attorney WDTX
, which announced the sentencing on social media and tagged DEA San Antonio, FBI San Antonio and the San Antonio Police Department, the case was prosecuted out of the Western District of Texas. As reported by
news4sanantonio.com
, the investigation traces back to a September 20, 2023, traffic stop in which a Bastrop County Sheriff's deputy discovered roughly two kilograms of heroin in Alvarado-Montiel's vehicle.
Guns, Heroin and Wire Transfers Found at Dale Residence
That traffic stop led investigators to Alvarado-Montiel's residence in Dale, Texas, where DEA agents and a subsequent lab test determined another stash held about 2.1 kilograms of heroin, the station's report notes. Agents also recovered two 9mm handguns, multiple magazines, ammunition and wire-transfer receipts from the home, according to the same account.
Alvarado-Montiel was charged in December 2023 with five drug-trafficking counts.
The Investigation
Federal authorities investigated the case.
The Texas Mexican Mafia, also known to members as Mexikanemi or La Eme, is described by ksat.com as a violent prison gang that spread from behind bars to the streets, where it has historically charged a 10 percent tax on drug dealers, pimps and other criminal profits. Federal investigators have rounded up numerous high-level members of the gang in several busts over the years, resulting in lengthy prison sentences and sometimes violent internal power struggles, according to the outlet. Gang expert Gabe Morales has said the organization has entered a state of crisis following a series of leadership indictments, though he stopped short of saying it had been dismantled.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Mexican Mafia Prosecutions
Recent Texas Mexican Mafia prosecutions include David Botello, identified as a leader of the gang, who was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for a methamphetamine-trafficking conspiracy, as reported by fox7austin.com.
