RIO GRANDE CITY, Texas – A 39-year-old South Texas man was sentenced to 15 years in prison for distributing cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani on Monday.
Following an eight-day trial, Lee Roy Villarreal was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine in July 2019.
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Villarreal was sentenced to 15 years in prison, which would be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
Authorities said that over a five-year period, Villareal operated a large-scale cocaine distribution network, including involvement in cocaine importation.
Villarreal and his associates allegedly distributed 150-450 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico and Panama to cocaine distributors based throughout the country to cities including Texas, Georgia, Illinois, and Indiana.
Villarreal is the brother of Michael Villarreal, who was known as “Gringo Mike,” a former Gulf Cartel Plaza boss who rival Gulf Cartel members reportedly killed in March 2013.
During the trial, the jury heard that Michael ran drug trafficking operations on behalf of Villarreal and the Gulf Cartel in South Texas.
Testimony revealed that Villarreal was directly involved in the importation of cocaine from Mexico and Panama, including directing his workers to import, stash, and transport cocaine to cities across the United States.
Additionally, Villarreal repatriated proceeds from the sale of cocaine back to Michael and other Gulf Cartel members in Mexico.
At trial, Villarreal testified he was never involved with drug trafficking or illegal associations with his brother and operated a legitimate auto mechanic business.
Despite the defense’s claims, the jury found him guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine.
Along with Villarreal, 12 other individuals have been convicted in relation to the conspiracy.
Villarreal is currently in custody awaiting transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility that will be determined soon, according to The U.S. Attorney’s Office.