SAN ANTONIO – Yesterday, Juan Gerardo Trevino-Chavez, aka Huevo, 39, of Laredo was arrested in San Diego, CA, on criminal charges related to his alleged involvement in drug trafficking in Mexico and the United States.
According to the indictment filed in San Antonio, Trevino is the current leader of the Cartel Del Noreste drug cartel (CDN). CDN is the successor cartel to the Los Zetas drug cartel for which he was a leader, drug trafficker, enforcer, weapons procurer, and plaza leader.
The indictment, unsealed yesterday, charges Trevino with 11 counts, including one count of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana; one count of Conspiracy to Import Marijuana; one count of Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substances; one count of Conspiracy to Employ a Person Under 18 in Drug Operations; one count of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; one count of Conspiracy to Import Cocaine; one count of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; one count of Conspiracy to Import Methamphetamine; one count of Conspiracy to Possess Firearms in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking; one count of Possession of a Machine Gun in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and one count of Money Laundering.
If convicted, Trevino faces up to life in prison on each of the Conspiracy to Possess Marijuana, Cocaine and Methamphetamine charges; up to life in prison on each of the Conspiracy to Import Cocaine and Methamphetamine charges; up to life in prison on the Unlawful Distribution of Controlled Substance charge as well as the Conspiracy to Employ a Person Under 18 in Drug Operations charge; up to 10 years in prison on the Conspiracy to Import Marijuana charge; and up to 20 years in prison on each of the Firearm charges and the Money Laundering charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff of the Western District of Texas; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden; and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux made the announcement.
HSI, DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Marshal Service, with invaluable assistance from the FBI and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, are investigating the case.
Special thanks to the Government of Mexico for their help in the capture and deportation of Trevino, especially the Instituto Nacional de Migración; SEDENA; Fiscalia General de la República; Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana; and the Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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