They often used a network of limited liability companies that made it difficult for investigators to track the ownership of those assets. "Some may not have any narcotic in it, others may have too much and thats when your going to overdose, and these are the stories you hear, someone goes to a party, and never done anything, said Sorianello. Fernando Salazar, a recently elected senator from Coahuila who's in the opposing National Action Party, or PAN, said he thinks the problem goes well beyond the former treasurer and interim governor. But Circuit Court Judge Clifton Newman wanted to know if he saw the mangled bodies of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh as he tried to sleep or thought about how he disgraced his family's three-generation reputation for justice through lying, stealing and eventually murder. Torres and Villarreal were the closest persons to Moreira, Salazar said. Over the past century, your family including you have been prosecuting people here in this courtroom, and many have received the death penalty, probably for lesser conduct, the judge said. Juan Carlos Robles, age 35 of San Antonio; In October 2012, Jos Eduardo Moreira, Humberto's son, was found murdered outside the border city of Acua, and several police officials were arrested in connection with the slaying. We look forward to taking a good hard look at the governments evidence.. He's the one that made all this mess.. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. Jay Haggard, 34, of San Antonio Moyer said he didn't buy them. Copyright 2023 by KSAT - All rights reserved. The arrestsin San Antonio conclude a comprehensive investigation by DEA, along with our law enforcement partners, into the criminal activities of a drug trafficking organization, who were responsible for transporting and distributing methamphetamine and cocaine into our communities, said Daniel C. Comeaux, special agent in charge of the DEA office in Houston. Over the past two days, federal, state and local authorities arrested all of the defendants with the exception of Brown, Martinez, Jose Garcia, Alvarado, and Bartlett. According to police, during a traffic stop, officers found a loaded syringe containing heroin inside of a vehicle. After sentencing, Murdaugh returned to the Colleton County jail to gather his possessions and will be taken to an evaluation center in Columbia for medical, mental health and education testing. He's facing a federal charge of possession with an intent to distribute over 500 grams of a controlled substance, according to Salazar. Moreira, the former leader of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, is close to Mexican President Enrique Pea Nieto. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, METRO -- The father of Ashley Villarreal is led out of the Judge John H. Wood Federal Courthouse. Camouflaged among those escaping the more recent problems in the state are drug traffickers, unscrupulous businessmen and high-ranking Coahuila officials who laundered more than $35 million in kickbacks for state contracts, U.S. authorities say. UPDATE: Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar says they found $29 million worth of methamphetamine, in addition to $400,000 worth of black tar heroin in a conversion lab in the Northeast Side. It is my understanding that the Gonzalez family has contributed greatly to the economy of San Antonio, his lawyer Carlos Quezada said. The prosecutors' deposition request included a list of people and entities they would be asking about, including the Moreira brothers, their nephew, a number of Villarreal's family members, Chaires, Humberto Moreira's former secretary, and Roberto Casimiro Gonzalez Trevio, the Coahuila cable magnate whose nephew was arrested in San Antonio and whose brother served as the state's spokesman here. Some of the money came from inflated contracts, said First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg. His high-powered attorney, J.A. News 4 San Antonio on Twitter: "DRUG BUSTThe Castle Hills Police Marshals Service and the Bexar County Sheriffs Office assisted with arrests. Three arrested after Castle Hills Police find heroin, fentanyl and The Murdaugh case has attracted true crime fans from around the world with its threads of power, danger, money and privilege. Consequently, they are also responsible for the death of my son and the 80,000 or 100,000 you see the numbers aren't what they're thought to be, as much as 150,000 ultimately dead from this war.. Timeline: An interactive look at Coahuila's debt and the ensuing investigation in San Antonio. Prosecutors didnt have the weapons used to kill the Murdaughs or other direct evidence like confessions or blood spatter. On an October morning last year, residents in the gated Champions Ridge subdivision watched as federal agents arrested a neighbor with ties to the Coahuila government. Of the 14 people indicted Wednesday, at least 10 have been taken into custody, including Jacqueline Alvarez, 57, of San Antonio, who works for the GEO Group at the Karnes County Family Residential Center. Bexar County Deputies arrest 3 people in a drug bust on San Antonio's The truth is he brought shame upon himself, his family, the community, his profession, Kinsinger said. Waters said none of the victims of the crime members of Murdaughs family and the parents and relatives of his wife wished to speak on behalf of the prosecution before sentencing. That's what we're doing, he said. Please dial 911 for emergencies or 210.207.7273 for non-emergencies. MEDINA COUNTY, Texas More than 20 arrests have been made as part of a multi-agency investigation into drug distribution in south-central Texas after a . This operation is part of an OCDETF Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. The BCSOs Gang Unit and Organized Crime Unit handled the investigation of the drug bust. If he gets extradited we will (fight the criminal case), but right now he has not been extradited, so he's still in Mexico, Canales said. Ashley Villarreal who was shot and critically wounded on Motes street at S. San Joaquin just a few houses down from her home. Since that incident, Salazar said deputies were notified the drug operation was back up and running, which led to the BCSO setting up surveillance near the residence Thursday morning. HOUSTON - Twenty-two defendants from San Antonio, Del Rio and Laredo face federal drug trafficking charges, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Ashley C. Hoff. 25 people arrested after massive drug bust in San Antonio area - KSAT S.A.-area rancher catches the hearts of American Idol judges, USAA wants some remote employees in the office three days a week, Take a look inside this $3.5 million 'mystery' mansion, New food truck park opens at The CO-OP SA, 10 things to do this weekend in San Antonio. Albelardo Oviedo, age 29 of San Antonio. Murdaugh didnt look at the sign as he was hustled into the courthouse with his head down. Deputies and Drug Enforcement Administration agents discovered the lab Thursday night after the arrest of 39-year-old Jose . A similar lawsuit is seeking to forfeit for $2.3 million Villarreal has in another Bermuda bank. What's known is this: the Gonzlezes control a media empire in Mexico and in recent years extended their influence across the border. Coordinated effort by law enforcement leads to major drug bust in Uvalde (SBG San Antonio) 0. Salazar said the street value of the seized drugs is over $1.2 million. Alex Murdaugh gets life in prison in murder of wife, son In the following months, details of the U.S. investigation began trickling out through a series of lawsuits filed by federal and state prosecutors to seize bank accounts and property owned by limited liability companies that had been set up by Villarreal, Coronado, another brother-in-law, Villarreal's wife and his alleged mistress. Thanks to the excellent work of the DEA and our other law enforcement partners, our community is safer today, stated U.S. Attorney Sofer. Oakland man charged with distributing thousands of LSD tabs Aug. 2, 2014 Updated: Aug. 4, 2014 11 a.m. Facebook Twitter Email. Oscar Jesus Lopez, age 23 of Laredo; Deputies seized four kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of cocaine in the home in addition to multiple firearms, thousands of dollars of cash and expensive clothing. Former Texas State Rep. Poncho Nevrez at AudioRec Productions, a recording studio in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. The lawyer he initially hired to defend him said the family isn't involved in any crimes. A locked padlock Its radio and television stations have a reputation for supporting the Institutional Revolutionary Party, known by its Spanish acronym PRI, in general and the Moreiras in particular. Prosecutor Creighton Waters noted that stare each day in court. Also among the defendants is Joe Angel Villarreal, 55. According to Eastland County Today, Tuesday at 1:30 am - Eastland County Deputy Sheriff Colby Jackson made a traffic stop on a speeding vehicle on Interstate 20. As Torren businessman Guillermo Flores Cordero stepped off a private jet in August at San Antonio International Airport, federal agents were waiting to take him to Corpus Christi to face charges that he illegally used shell companies to transfer millions of dollars from Mexico to the U.S. for others. All the billboards that the PRI used in its campaigns they would rent from Roberto, and they'd easily get the permits from the city governments.. Prosecutors have moved to seize tens of millions of dollars in San Antonio real estate including a home in The Dominion, commercial property on U.S. 281 and a pharmacy on Stone Oak Parkway and indicted six people under an investigation into a nexus of politics, private industry and one of Mexico's most notorious drug gangs. With Villarreal on the run, the lawsuits languished. Flores had made powerful friends in the U.S., among them lobbyist and former Congressman Henry Bonilla, who showed up at his initial court appearance in San Antonio. Tony Canales, said Torres is innocent but won't come to the U.S. to fight the charges because he's afraid he won't get bond. Thirteen individuals are charged with trafficking cocaine in the San Antonio area, announced U.S. Attorney Gregg N. Sofer and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Steven S. Whipple, Houston Division.