A Honduran national, as per court documents, has been sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison for spearheading a drug trafficking organization while being incarcerated in San Antonio, Texas.
Marco Antonio Morales-Perez, aged 51, was involved in orchestrating the transportation of methamphetamine and heroin from the Great Plains Correctional Institution in Oklahoma to South Texas.
Morales-Perez and his partner, 42-year-old Pablo Torres-Zaragoza from Mexico, utilized contraband cell phones, smuggled into the facility by a drone, to oversee drug deliveries. They relied on different contacts and intermediaries. During the investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, over 160 kilograms of methamphetamine and 12 kilograms of heroin were seized.
“The significant sentences of these two leaders of this sophisticated drug trafficking organization sends a strong message that we are equipped to investigate and infiltrate complex organizations to hold accountable those at the highest levels who are having dangerous drugs delivered to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas.
Torres-Zaragoza received a federal prison sentence of 262 months on December 4, 2024. The other co-defendants also received their respective sentences: Jesus Alfredo Palacios was sentenced to 150 months, Juan Del Hoyo to 120 months, Manuel Montoya to 34 months, Jose Adam Alejandre-Navarro to 108 months, and Israel Villegas Alcantar to 47 months.
The investigation was spearheaded by the DEA, with support from several local and federal agencies, including the San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Fuchs handled the prosecution of the case, which formed part of an ongoing investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces.
