This browser does not support the Video element.
HOUSTON - Twenty people have now been sent to prison for their role in combined drug trafficking operations, says the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
34-year-old Houston resident Abril Pineda Ortiz aka Carlos Raudel Pineda-Ortiz was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months for his role in a meth distribution conspiracy, said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Pineda-Ortiz pleaded guilty on May 13, 2021, and was sentenced on Thursday by U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal. After his release, Pineda-Ortiz will be immediately ordered to five years of supervised release.
CRIME: Shocking details revealed during 'Doomsday mom' Lori Vallow's murder trial: Live updates
At the time of the plea, Pineda-Ortiz admitted he supplied meth in multiple drug transactions involving co-conspirators Juan Carlos Salinas, 41, and Crystal Lynn Harrold, 42, both from Houston.
According to court records, the court found Pineda-Ortiz to be the source of supply in transactions involving significant amounts of meth. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the effects meth has had on people and communities.
At the date of this writing, officials say more than 30 people have been convicted in the related drug conspiracies involving meth, cocaine, and heroin and the sentencing of Pineda-Ortiz made 20 people now sent to prison.
TEXAS MASS SHOOTING: Texas manhunt ends in Conroe: Shooting suspect Francisco Oropeza charged with 5 counts of first-degree murder
"These traffickers will pay with their freedom," said Hamdani, "to the tune of a combined sentence of more than 2000 months in federal prison…for infecting our communities with hundreds of kilograms of meth, fentanyl, cocaine, and heroin."
Authorities executed a search warrant at the residence of Pineda-Ortiz where they found and seized a firearm, an additional 1,857 grams of meth, and drug sale paraphernalia.
This browser does not support the Video element.
Houston firefighter arrested in drug bust
**EDITORS NOTE: This video is from a previous and unrelated story. FOX 26 Reporter Matthew Seedorff explains what happened and what was seized.
"The success of these investigations and the corresponding sentences serve as an example of the impact multiple agencies can have when they join forces," said Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). "This operation dismantled the activities of a dangerous criminal organization that was responsible for smuggling and distributing hundreds of pounds of illicit narcotics throughout the State of Texas. The DEA will continue to focus our resources on drug trafficking organizations that oversee, coordinate and facilitate the distribution of illegal drugs in our communities."
The investigation into these Pineda-Ortiz, Salinas, and Harrold began in 2015. For the two years after, law enforcement was able to execute operations aimed at curtailing the organization’s sale of meth, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 APP
Investigators say law enforcement seized 82.3 kilograms of meth, 16.4 kilograms of fentanyl, 176.7 kilograms of marijuana, 83.9 kilograms of cocaine, 31 kilograms of heroin, and one kilogram of GHB as well as $586,706.61 in assets.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the combined sentences in the related cases thus far have exceeded 2,000 months in federal prison with several receiving sentences well in excess of 10 years. One was ordered to serve 222 months.
The DEA conducted the initial investigations along with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; FBI; police departments in Houston and Huntsville; sheriff’s offices in Fort Bend and Harris counties; and the Texas Department of Public Safety.