United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

FEDERAL JURY CONVICTS COCAINE TRAFFICKING RING LEADER

LUBBOCK, Texas — A leader of a major cocaine-trafficking organization operating in the Lubbock area was convicted late Tuesday following a two-day trial, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Alex Romo Rios, 47, of Lubbock, was convicted on all counts, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, distribution and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana. U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings ordered a pre-sentence investigation with sentencing to be scheduled after that investigation is completed. The United States had previously filed an information regarding notice of sentencing enhancement, which if found to be true would result in a mandatory life sentence for Rios as to counts one and eight of the superseding indictment.

Rios, along with two co-defendants Wovencelado Tijerina, 60, of Tahoka, Texas, and Noel Peralez Tijerina, 41, of Lubbock, were arrested in mid- April in an early morning enforcement action by agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and other law enforcement organizations. These three defendants, along with Scott Garza, 26, and Juan Antonio Benitez, Jr., 45, both of Lubbock, and Eusebio Miramontez, 55, of Abilene, Texas, are all charged in the 21-count indictment. Defendant Garza is already in state custody; defendants Benitez and Miramontez are fugitives. Court hearings are set for defendant Garza on July 19, 2007 and for defendants Wovencelado Tijerina and Noel Tijerina on July 26, 2007.

The government presented evidence at trial that beginning in 2004, Rios conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. The evidence presented at trial showed that Rios and co-conspirator Noel Tijerina combined to distribute approximately 150 kilograms of cocaine in the Lubbock area from September 2005 through September 2006. The evidence also showed that Rios and another co-conspirator not named in the indictment formed a partnership to distribute cocaine and crack cocaine in February 2006 after federal, state, and local authorities had incarcerated a large number of the crack cocaine distributors in Lubbock. Rios and this individual distributed approximately 100-150 kilograms of cocaine in the Lubbock area from February 2006 through October 2006. Testimony at trial also showed the Rios had ties to various narcotics traffickers in Mexico who supplied him with cocaine.

1U.S. Attorney Roper praised the excellent investigative efforts of the DEA, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations Division, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the Lubbock Police Department, the Plainview Police Department, the Hale County Sheriff’s Department, the Lynn County Sheriff’s Department, the Tahoka Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey R. Haag and Denise B. Williams of the Lubbock, Texas, U.S. Attorney’s Office.

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