A married Texas couple plead guilty to charges involving illegal activity of the notorious Texas Mexican Mafia prison gang, according to a recent report from the FBI.
33-year-old Carlos Contreras reportedly entered a plea on May 22 to conspiracy to possess and distribute 10 kilograms of heroin; on the same day, his 31-year-old wife Ana Rosa Contreras plead guilty to money laundering.
An indictment obtained by Breitbart Texas said that Carlos Contreras “did knowingly and intentionally posses and distribute a controlled substance. This offense involved the quantity of 100 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of heroin.”
The court document went on to allege numerous, specific incidents where Contreras allegedly possessed and transferred various amounts of heroin.
According to the FBI, on May 22 the couple admitted that their swanky residence in Laredo, Texas–a town near the U.S.-Mexican border–was purchased using funds received as a result of the scheme. The government will apparently seize the property, which has an estimated value of more than $300,00.
Ultimately, Carlos Contreras could spend life behind bars and face a $10 million fine if found guilty. His wife is reportedly facing up to 20 years in prison.
The indictment accuses 24 individuals of having a part in the massive scheme, which allegedly involved the distribution of numerous illegal drugs; the FBI reported that 21 of the the defendants have plead guilty.
The FBI report stated that Carlos and Ana Rosa Contreras were “charged along with several other members and associates of the Texas Mexican Mafia in an indictment alleging conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine and money laundering.”
At this point, it is not clear which of the arrested individuals have ties to the Texas Mexican Mafia gang or how those gang relations were determined.
Sergeant James Springer of Seguin Police Department told Breitbart Texas that gang members are typically identified by tattoos.
“Tattoos tell gang members’ stories, what their job is, and which gang they belong to,” Springer said.
The Texas Mexican Mafia is a relatively large prison gang that has a presence all throughout the Lone Star State, according to Springer.
Most people who join these gangs do it because it gives them something to belong to. Gangs will deal with anything that is illegal.”
Sergeant Springer told Breitbart Texas that prisons are usually segregated within the population by gang titles, race and religion. Although gangs typically do not integrate with one another, it is not uncommon for them to buy drugs from each other, according to Springer.
Such a claim of inter-organizational collusion echoes recent reporting from Breitbart Texas’ Managing Director Brandon Darby. In April 2013, Darby reported on FBI revelations that criminal entities such as the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas and then-U.S. based Texas Mexican Mafia were cooperating for the purpose of drug trafficking and contract killings–despite conventionally held notions that the groups held racially-exclusive policies against each other. Based on available documentation, federal law enforcement continues to maintain that profit has taken precedence over racial differences between the criminal enterprises.
Follow Kristin Tate on Twitter @KristinBTate.
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