Twice-deported Mexican national sentenced to 168 months in federal prison in drug trafficking conspiracy

TYLER, Texas – A twice-deported Mexican national has been sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Jose Mercedes Saucedo-Guerrero, 34, a Mexican national illegally living in Longview, was sentenced to 168 months by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on June 23, 2025.

According to information presented in court, on May 2, 2024, Saucedo-Guerrero was stopped for a traffic violation in Kilgore.  During the stop, officers deployed a K9 to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle, resulting in a positive alert for the presence of a controlled substance. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 2,972 grams of methamphetamine hidden in the vehicle.  Further investigation revealed Saucedo-Guerrero was unlawfully present in the United States after having been previously prosecuted and deported on two separate occasions for immigration crimes.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), the Gregg County Sheriff's Office, and the Kilgore Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.

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