SINTON, Texas – Nearly a dozen criminals have now been brought to justice for their roles in drug trafficking in a Texas small town’s streets after the sentencing of two Sinton residents, the United States Department of Justice announced.
Authorities said Jonathan “John Bear” Olbera, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine on March 8, 2022, while Lisza Marie Vera, 44, entered her plea on Oct. 5, 2020, to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute meth.
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On Monday, Senior U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey sentenced Olbera to 78 months in federal prison, while Vera was ordered to serve a 60-month prison term. The sentences will be immediately followed by three years of supervised release, the DOJ said.
In 2019, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies conducted investigations to address drug trafficking and gang activity in various small towns in San Patricio County, including Sinton, which reportedly has a population of less than 6,000.
The investigation led to the identification of the Garcia drug trafficking organization, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said. Several people in that group were allegedly members and associates of various gangs, including the Calaveras Outlaw motorcycle gang, Texas Syndicate, 59 Bounty Hunters and the Bloods. Investigators said they operated out of a multi-family residence known as “The Compound,” which is located within 1,000 feet of a public park and an elementary school.
Olbera and Vera were part of that group responsible for distributing cocaine and multi-kilogram amounts of meth to residents in Sinton, Odem and Aransas Pass. The organization was selling about one kilogram of meth every week, authorities said.
The leader of the organization - who investigators identified as Jacob Eli Garcia, 31 - previously received a sentence of 300 months in federal prison. Collectively, the total sentences imposed in this case totals approximately 1,100 months in federal prison.
“The Compound” was sold at auction as a result of the criminal convictions in this case, authorities said.
“In a small town like Sinton, drug trafficking and gang activity endangers every resident,” Hamdani said. “Worthless gangs, including a motorcycle gang, cared nothing about Sinton’s children and families when they distributed cocaine and meth, even near a school and park. My hope is that these sentences send a strong message to others thinking of putting their neighbors at risk.”
Hamdani said Olbera will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Vera was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender at a later date.
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