Week 10 RGV Games Will Decide Championships and Playoff Teams

BROWNSVILLE–There are several big games with playoff implications for Lower Valley teams in Week 10 for RGV Football and the winners will determine playoff seedings and district championships.

EDCOUCH-ELSA VS. PACE–The Yellow Jackets will visit Brownsville Sams Stadium for Thursday Night Football in a 5-A District 32 matchup. EE controls its own destiny and has a lock on second place in the district. They have rebounded from an 0-2 start and have won five out of six with its only loss to Mercedes.

Pace is fighting for a playoff spot in this competitive district. They are tied for fifth place, but can move up with a victory over Edcouch-Elsa. The Vikings have won two in a row. A change at quarterback has improved the offense. The defense is solid. The players know a win tonight and they will move up in the standings.

BROWNSVILLE VETERANS MEMORIAL VS. LOS FRESNOS–Both of these teams were upset last week and now find themselves battling for the playoffs.

 

It’s the last game of the year for the seniors at Los Fresnos. There is sure to be a lot of emotion as the Falcons try to rebound from their loss against Rivera. The team has sets its sight on forgetting that game and staying together as a team. They know a win will help their playoff chances.

The Chargers were beaten soundly by Harlingen and have lost two games in a row. The losses against the Cardinals and San Benito hurts Vets Memorial.  They need a win, if they want to qualify for the playoffs.  The last thing they want is for the tie-breaker to decide the fourth and final playoff spot.

PORT ISABEL VS. ORANGE GROVE–A few weeks ago, this was considered the de facto championship game for 4-A District 16 Division II, but the Rio Hondo Bobcats upset the Tarpons and that changed everything.

PI was missing a key ingredient in their loss to Rio Hondo. That was senior Marcos Colorado. He was out and they missed his play on defense and offense. He is great defensive back who can run down offensive players. He also is a great offensive weapon. They will need him, along with JJ “The Rocket” Gonzalez to beat Orange Grove.

It’s not easy to win at Bulldog Stadium and Coach Jerry Bomar will have his team ready for Port Isabel. The Tarpons won the last matchup in the playoffs last year 40-7 in a game PI dominated at Javelina Stadium in Kingsville. QB Hondo Harris was no match for the Seawall Defense, but this year is different as its a new Tarpons team. If Orange Grove wins, they will be the district champs.

RIO HONDO VS. RAYMONDVILLE–The Bobcats loss vs. Orange Grove turned this game into an interesting one as it will have big playoff implications. The winner qualifies for the playoffs. Rio Hondo is facing its third tough opponent in a row after playing Port Isabel and Orange Grove. Rio Hondo knows it must win this game, if it wants a chance at claiming the district championship.

Raymondville has had a good season and they are improving. If you look at their season, they have lost to good teams. They are hoping the emotion of the last game for the seniors at home will help them ride to victory. They need a win to make the playoffs.

HANNA vs. RIVERA–Saturday Night Football at Sams Stadium between the two powerhouse teams in Brownsville should be a good one. A win for Hanna and they stay alive in the hunt for the playoffs. A loss and they are out. Simple as that. They are hoping their offense can lead them to a victory.

Rivera wants to build on the victory over Los Fresnos. A win for them will solidify a chance to get into the playoffs. If San Benito wins this weekend, they will clinch the district and rest players in the final game vs. Rivera. The big key in this game will be the Hanna offense against the stingy Raiders defense. Rivera stopped the Sharyland offense and has been good all year long. They are hoping for another good performance on offense to beat Hanna.

OTHER GAMES

SAN BENITO VS. HARLINGEN SOUTH

HARLINGEN VS. LOPEZ

PORTER VS. PSJA

LA FERIA VS. ZAPATA

WEST OSO VS. PROGRESO

SANTA ROSA VS. SAN DIEGO

LYFORD VS. ARANSAS PASS

THREE RIVERS VS. SANTA MARIA

TOP 10

1. Sharyland

2. McAllen Memorial

3. San Benito

4. Edinburg Vela

5. Weslaco East

6. McAllen

7. Mercedes

8. Rio Hondo

9. Port Isabel

10. Los Fresnos

Manuel De La Rosa works for High School Sports Magazine and covers football teams in Cameron and Willacy County. If you want to see his Twitter feed, go to mannydelarosa68 or Manuel De La Rosa on Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached at mannyadelarosa@gmail.com

Valley Teams Playing for Seeding in 4A Divisions

PORT ISABEL–The Valley teams battling for the playoffs in 4A-District 16 have a clear idea who is in the playoffs, but are still trying to figure out who will be district champs and the seedings for the playoffs.

In Division II, the Rio Hondo lost last week against Orange Grove hurt their chances for an outright district championship. They play Raymondville this week who is on a two-game winning streak. The winner of this game qualifies for the playoffs.

Port Isabel’s victory over West Oso and Progreso earlier in the season means they are in the playoffs. They are hoping to go to Orange Grove this week and pull off the upset. Orange Grove has beaten Raymondville and Rio Hondo. A victory by PI would create the possibility of three teams ending the season with one loss and all staking a claim to the district title.

For now, it looks as if Progreso and West Oso are the two teams out of the playoff hunt, though if they spring an upset, things could change.

In Division I, La Feria still has a slim shot at claiming a district championship, but the loss vs. Kingsville really hurt their chances to win it outright. They play Zapata this week and a win would help them out. The Lions and Hawks have already qualified for the playoffs.

Grulla won its first game of the year last week against Hidalgo, 19-7. That victory gave them the tie breaker for fourth place over the Pirates in this five team district.

Kingsville must win out against Grulla and Hidalgo to win the district championship. If not, then it opens up the door for either La Feria and Zapata to claim a piece of the district championship.

Manuel De La Rosa works for High School Sports Magazine and covers football teams in Cameron and Willacy County. If you want to see his Twitter feed, go to mannydelarosa68 or Manuel De La Rosa on Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached at mannyadelarosa@gmail.com

Harlingen and Rivera Wins Cloud Playoff Picture in District 32

BROWNSVILLE–Victories by Harlingen and Rivera High School clouded the playoff picture for 6A-District 32 that has only one team in at this  point with two weeks to play.

San Benito is undefeated in district play at 5-0 and needs just one more win to clinch the championship for this competitive league. So far, the Greyhounds are the only team in the playoffs. Many never expected San Benito would be sitting in the driver’s seat to win this district. They beat Los Fresnos, Harlingen and Veterans Memorial over a three-week period. A victory this week over Harlingen South and they will be crowned district champs.

After that, it’s a free for all with only Lopez eliminated from playoff contention. You have six teams battling for three playoff positions, though Harlingen South and Hanna have big uphill battles. This week could eliminate some teams.

The biggest game of the week is Los Fresnos vs. Veterans Memorial. A few weeks ago, both the Chargers and Falcons looked like a lock for the playoffs, but both were beaten last week. The winner of this game will have a big advantage heading into the last week of play. Veterans Memorial hopes to avoid its third straight loss. Still, Los Fresnos is playing its last home game of the season so the Falcons will be pumped up to win this game.

Many doubted Harlingen and its defense during a two game losing streak against San Benito and Los Fresnos, but the Cardinals came up with a huge effort in beating Veterans Memorial. Harlingen is playing Lopez and Harlingen South over the last two weeks and control its own destiny.

Rivera and Hanna play Saturday night in a big battle. Rivera has won three games in a row and they are in second place in this district. A victory this week will eliminate Hanna. The Eagles have been playing better. They have a slim chance of making the playoffs, but need to win out against Rivera and Los Fresnos.

If there is a tie-breaker, it gets interesting. The first tie breaker is head-to-head competition. If there are more than two teams tied, then it goes to a total point system scored with the maximum a team can get is 18 points for a victory.  This could be used to break the tie for the playoffs due to the Rivera and Harlingen victories. If Hanna wins this week, it could be interesting last week of the season.

Manuel De La Rosa works for High School Sports Magazine and covers football teams in Cameron and Willacy County. If you want to see his Twitter feed, go to mannydelarosa68 or Manuel De La Rosa on Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached at mannyadelarosa@gmail.com

Weslaco East Wins Big; Rivera Upsets Los Fresnos

WESLACO–Weslaco East (7-1, 3-1) fell behind early against PSJA North (3-2, 5-4), but then scored 42 straight points behind the running of Lupe Moron and won easily over the Raiders 49-14 at Bobby Lackey Stadium.

Moron scored four touchdowns in the 1st half and gained 196 yards in the first two quarters in a game the Wildcats needed to win to stay tied for first place with Weslaco in 6A-District 31.

The Raiders started out with two good drives and scored easily behind their big offensive line to lead 14-7. It looked like it was going to be a good game, but the Wildcats made some adjustments on defense and shut down PSJA North after that.

The contoversy over RB Alexis Cervantes who is facing two felony charges for aggravated sexual assault of a child continued to be an issue for Weslaco East. They played him sparingly and he ran the ball five times. He was expelled when he was first arrested last year, but now he’s back in school and playing football, even though he has a trial date set for December 8th.

We tried to talk to Coach Mike Burget to get post game comments and to ask about Cervantes, but he ran off saying let’s go to his coaches.

Those same coaches purposely tried to block High School Sports Magazine from shooting photos of the team when Burget was talking to his players after the game, too.

Rivera 25 Los Fresnos 13–Rivera came up with a big upset in 6A-District 32 against Los Fresnos at Sams Stadium that will further cloud the playoff picture in this district.

Rivera came out with a lot of energy and exposed the Los Fresnos defense. Behind the passing of Quarterback Danny Elizondo, the Raiders were able to win the game.

They also had a great acrobatic one-hand catch by WR Edward Rubio that put Rivera ahead. That was followed by a 53-yard pass to Oggy Martinez that sealed the victory.

The Raiders also got another solid performance from their defense. The d for Rivera has been the key all season long and this game against Los Fresnos no difference. They held the Falcons to 13 points.

Los Fresnos Coach Clint Finley said they started slow and never were able to catch up to Rivera. He also said they  struggled executing their game plan and it was a frustrating night. He told his players they can still make the playoffs, but they must win next week over Veterans Memorial at home to do it first.

Harlingen 26 Brownsville Veterans Memorial 6–Harlingen came up with their best game of the year and the defense stymied Veterans Memorial in a key game in 6A-District 32 at Boggus Stadium.

Harlingen used two sophomore quarterbacks to run the offense past the Chargers. Veterans Memorial was shut out for most of the game before they scored in the 4th quarter. It was a key loss for the Chargers for tie-breaker reasons, if they end up tied with Harlingen in district play.

Orange Grove 21 Rio Hondo 18–Orange Grove invade the Rio Grande Valley and walked with a victory over Rio Hondo in a battle for first place in 4A-District 16 Division II. They used their offense and a little defense to squeak out a victory against the Bobcats.

Kingsville 19 La Feria 14–Kingsville took advantage of a blocked punt and jumped out to an early lead over La Feria. They held on to that lead and beat the Lions in a battle for first place in 4A-District 16 Division I.

Donna 56 Porter 21 (Thursday Night)–Donna capitalized on two early turnovers against Porter, then their offense kicked in to gear and the Redskins dominated the 5A-District 32 game.

OTHER GAMES–

Hanna 17 Harlingen South 14

San Benito 55 Lopez 15

Pace 23 Donna North 7

Port Isabel 42 West Oso 24

Grulla 19 Hidalgo 7

Raymondville 46 Progreso 7

Lyford 35 Falfurrias 21

Riviera 32 La Villa 29

Ben Bolt 62 Santa Maria 2

Santa Rosa 13 Bishop 12

Los Fresnos vs. Rivera (Saturday)

TOP 10

1. Sharyland

2. McAllen Memorial

3. San Benito

4. Edinburg Vela

5. Weslaco East

6. McAllen

7. Mercedes

8. Rio Hondo

9. Port Isabel

10. Los Fresnos

Manuel De La Rosa works for High School Sports Magazine and covers football teams in Cameron and Willacy County. If you want to see his Twitter feed, go to mannydelarosa68 or Manuel De La Rosa on Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached at mannyadelarosa@gmail.com

San Benito Wins on Field Goal in Closing Minutes of Game; Beats Los Fresnos

San Benito wins a tight one over Los Fresnos.

SAN BENITO–It was battle all the way to the end between Los Fresnos and San Benito and the Greyhounds edged out the Falcons with a field goal in the closing minutes of the game at Bobby Morrow Stadium.

San Benito came out firing on all cylinders and scored two quick touchdowns to jump out to a 14-0 in the 1st quarter. They held onto that lead until the Falcons scored on the last play of the 1st Half on a Hail Mary pass.

Down by a touchdown, Los Fresnos came back in the third quarter, putting together a drive that led them to a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. The Falcons scored on a one yard run and the game was tied at 14.

It appeared as if Los Fresnos had the momentum and the game in their hands. They got a defense stop and San Benito lined up for a punt. On the punt, the ball sailed over the Greyhounds punter inside his 20 and he ran for dear life only to have a face mask penalty called against the Falcons. That combine with a sideline infraction flipped the field for San Benito.

They eventually drove down on the passing of Senior Qb Cristian Sierra. His ability to scramble and get out of bad situations allowed San Benito to set up a 27-yard field goal by Alejandro Lugo.

It was a tough loss for Los Fresnos who must regroup now and will play Harlingen South next week. San Benito must get ready for the Battle of the Arroyo and will play Harlingen with first place in the district on the line.

Donna 26 Pace 7–Donna used two key plays on special teams to propel them to victory over Pace Thursday night at Sams Stadium in Brownsville. Donna stymied the Vikings offense who look out of sync the whole night.

The Redskins were held to two field goals early on by the Pace defense. After going up 6-0, a mistake by the kickoff returner pinned the Pace deep in its territory. They were forced to punt and a screen pass by Donna set up the first score of the game. Donna led 12-0 at Half.

A nice punt return put the Redskins back in business in the third quarter. They went up 19-0 in the third quarter and cruised to an easy victory over Pace.

Donna will play Mercedes next week, while Pace squares away against PSJA.

Harlingen Predicted to Win District.

Harlingen 37 Hanna 21–Harlingen got the services of QB Bowe Davis back and he showed what the Cardinals offense has been missing this season. Davis was hurt for five weeks since one of the first series of the year. He led them to four touchdowns and an easy victory over the Golden Eagles.

Other scores:

Harlingen South 35 Lopez 0

Edcouch Elsa 38 Porter 7

Lyford 25 Hidalgo 21

Sinton 20 Raymondville 13

Brownsville Vets Memorial 42 Rivera 24

TOP 10

1. Port Isabel

2. Sharyland

3. Edinburg Vela

4. McAllen Memorial

5. Los Fresnos

6. McAllen

7. Edinburg North

8. Mission Veterans Memorial

9. Weslaco East

10. Brownsville Veterans Memorial

Manuel De La Rosa works for High School Sports Magazine and covers football teams in Cameron and Willacy County. If you want to see his Twitter feed, go to mannydelarosa68 or Manuel De La Rosa on Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached at mannyadelarosa@gmail.com

Port Isabel Ranked Number 1 in New Poll

News and Notes from RGV Football

The Port Isabel Tarpons have moved up to the top of the Top 10 Poll. They are the only undefeated team in the RGV. They have won 17 straight and haven’t lost since 2012. The streak will stay in tact this week as they have a bye.

Port Isabel was down at Half vs. St. Joseph’s Academy before making some adjustments and playing Tarpon Football. It was downhill from there behind the running of JJ “The Rocket” Gonzalez and Alex De Los Santos. The Tarpons handed the Bloodhounds their first defeat of the year. QB Kai Money gave the Seawall Defense all it could handle. PI may get a test against Rio Hondo and their good defense in Week 8. Before that, they play Progreso who they should beat.

Sharyland beat a good Edinburg Vela team, 27-24, in a big district opener for the two teams. The Rattlers held off the Sabercats after Vela got within three points late in the 4th.  It was a game that was televised as Fox Sports Southwest Game of the Week and Sharyland QB Lance Madden dazzled the crowd with a long td run. It proved to be a heavyweight matchup. Both teams battled and showed the cream of the crop for RGV Football. This week, Sharlyland has another tough matchup vs Mission Veterans Memorial, while Roma travels to Edinburg Vela.

Weslaco East and its weak schedule turned out to be their achilles heel as the Wildcats went down to defeat. Edinburg North has played some teams and they were able to beat the Weslaco East in overtime. It was an exciting finish. That defeat meant the three other unbeatens in the RGV lost on Friday.

Porter Beat Donna North at Sams Stadium

Pace looked good against Mercedes. The Tigers beat the Vikings by 6 points and it was very surprising to see how close the game was at Mercedes. Porter won over Donna North and they are in first place at the top of District 32 5A. It was the second win of the year for the Cowboys and a reason to celebrate.

The team getting a lot of looks this week is Los Fresnos. They won 62-0 over Lopez, but folks are talking about the Falcons. They will play a tough San Benito team who won big over Hanna. Both those teams have potential and it should be a good matchup Friday night.

Harlingen Coach Manny Gomez and Cardinal players.

Harlingen squeaked by Rivera and the Brownsville Veterans Memorial barely beat Harlingen South. Both teams were expected to win by more. The Cardinals still don’t have their starting quarterback, but the defense and team isn’t as strong as in the past. The Chargers won on a blocked punt. They had a tough game against the Hawks.

TOP 10

1. Port Isabel

2. Sharyland

3. Edinburg Vela

4. McAllen Memorial

5. Los Fresnos

6. McAllen

7. Edinburg North

8. Mission Veterans Memorial

9. Weslaco East

10. Brownsville Veterans Memorial

Manuel De La Rosa works for High School Sports Magazine and covers football teams in Cameron and Willacy County. If you want to see his Twitter feed, go to mannydelarosa68 or Manuel De La Rosa on Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached at mannyadelarosa@gmail.com

Porter and Donna North Play Tonight in District Opener

BROWNSVILLE–The opening game tonight in District 32-5A will pit Porter vs. Donna North. It’s a game that someone has to win and the winner will be 1-0 and atop the district.

Porter lost against Progreso in a game they should have won, then beat Lopez in the Battle of Southmost, followed by a disappointing performance against a team from Mexico.

Donna North is playing its first year of varsity ball. They have a good attitude and are getting better each week. They have lost to La Feria, La Joya and Mission. The Chief are hoping this is the week they can get a W and start off district play in first place.

Game time is at 7:oo pm at Sams Stadium in Brownsville.

DISTRICT PREDICTIONS

I cover the Lower Valley so I am predicting who will make the playoffs before the district play starts. Today, I will write about District 32-5A. Tomorrow, the District 32-6A. I also will mention who I think will win District 31-5A and 6A because I have seen some of those teams play too.

For District 32-5A, Mercedes, Ed Couch-Elsa, Donna and PSJA. The Brownsville schools still aren’t good enough to make the playoffs. PSJA Southwest and Donna North are young teams who won’t compete for the district title. I am picking Mercedes to win the district. Donna will get better once their starting quarterback returns.

In District 31-5A, winner of Edinburg Vela and Sharyland takes district crown. I am picking Sharyland. The other two teams that will make the playoffs from this district are Mission Veterans Memorial and Roma. Roma will break the playoff drought streak, if they can beat Rio Grande City. RGC has had a lot of injuries, but don’t believe they have the team to beat Roma. Not this year.

Enjoy the games! Send me your photos of cheerleaders, the band, crowd shots and the football game. I will post the pictures and give you credit on my blog. Give me your comments.

 

TOP 10

1. Edinburg Vela

2. Weslaco East

3. Sharyland

4. McAllen Memorial

5. McAllen

6. Port Isabel

7. Brownsville Vets Memorial

8. Mission Veterans

9. Harlingen

10. Los Fresnos

Manuel De La Rosa works for High School Sports Magazine and covers football teams in Cameron and Willacy County. If you want to see his Twitter feed, go to mannydelarosa68 or Manuel De La Rosa on Facebook and Instagram. He can be reached at mannyadelarosa@gmail.com

Men Charged in Brownsville Home Invasion Robbery

Jorge Cervantes

BROWNSVILLE–A year-long investigation into a home invasion robbery in Brownsville has led to the arrests of three people and the search for a fourth suspect.

Investigators report four people came to a home on the 500 block of Acacia Lake Drive in December of 2010 wearing black ski masks, a bandana over his face, carrying handguns and a knife.

When they arrived at the residence, they forced their way through the front door after ringing the door bell.  The suspects searched the rest of the house looking for the homeowner.

Epigmenio Ahumada Arrested

Witness said the two home staff members were then bound with duck tape and zip-ties and placed on the ground.  The suspects ransacked the residence searching for valuables and they discovered a small hand gun inside the night stand in the master bedroom and took it.

The homeowner called his residence as he usually does to inform his staff that he was on his way home.  One of the subjects ordered the house keeper to answer the phone and to act normal as to not alarm the homeowner in an attempt to lure him into the residence.

The homeowner arrived at approximately 7:00 p.m., with one of his employees and his (employee’s) fiancé.  The couple was still in the car when the homeowner opened the front door.

Jorge Ramirez Arrested

He was immediately pulled in by the one of the suspects at gunpoint and passed to another suspect in the living room.  One suspect went to the vehicle and forced the couple inside the house at gunpoint.  Once inside the house, the couple was tied up with duck tape as well.

One of the suspect then started telling the homeowner that they were there because they needed a large amount of money.  The suspect took the homeowner around the house ordering to open the safes and demanding the cash.

The suspects took several pieces of jewelry and watches from two of the safes, then the suspects put the homeowner down on the ground tied up

Fearing for his life, the homeowner told them that the money was in the bank and that he would withdraw it in the morning if they didn’t harm anyone.

The suspects agreed and left everyone there and only took their cell phones, except for the Homeowner’s phone.  They were instructed not to call the police or they would come back and kill them all.

One of the suspects left a knife on a box and told the victims to wait 20 minutes before they freed themselves.  The suspects took anything that they thought might have recording capabilities and left the house.

The suspects took a small red Mazda Pickup and after an hour of them leaving, they called the homeowner and told him that he could pick up the truck in the parking lot of the local Home Depot.

The vehicle was picked up by the homeowner’s staff and brought back to the residence. The following day  the homeowner received a call from the suspects. The suspect informed him that he was still being watched; they also instructed him to take the small red pickup to the bank.

The homeowner visited his banks and made several large withdrawals in an attempt to get as much money as he could.  He placed all the money in a bag and was given orders to proceed to a location along FM 106 in Cameron County.  He dropped off the money on the side of the road and was ordered to continue heading forward.

The homeowner was not able to contact law enforcement until three days later in fear of retaliation against him, his family and friends.

After a yearlong investigation, BPD Special Investigation Unit Agents, with the assistance of ICE Special Agents, the U.S. Border, FBI and the U.S. Marshal Service arrested Jorge Ramirez, Epigmenio Ahumada and Jorge Cervantes, who are from Brownsville.

They are charged with aggravated robbery and kidnapping. They will also face an additional charge of engaging in criminal activity.

They are still looking for the fourth suspect. His name is Gabriel Ahumada and is believed to be hiding out in Mexico.

Two have given confessions and admitted to taking part in the home invasion robbery, according to investigators. They won’t say if they have recovered the jewelry, watches and money taken in the crime.

The investigators won’t reveal the motive in the home invasion robbery. They will only say the group knew each other, though they weren’t connected to any cartels in Mexico.

Drug Trafficking Leader Pleads Guilty

BROWNSVILLE–A man who led a drug trafficking organization that took drugs from Mexico to Houston pled guilty Thursday just a few months after he was indicted.

Rigoberto Munoz-Vargas, 37, of Mexico admitted he was in possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm, federal prosecutors said.

Munoz-Vargas confessed to United States District Court Judge Andrew S. Hanen today that he arranged for the shipment of 1.3 kilograms of 100% pure methamphetamine to be delivered to his girlfriend’s apartment in the Houston area. He intended to use scales found during a search of his girlfriend’s residence to weigh the methamphetamine, after which he intended to distribute it.

Munoz-Vargas also admitted he had purchased a .40 caliber Fabrique Nationale handgun and stored it at the apartment where the methamphetamine was found. Munoz-Vargas is a Mexican national with no legal status to enter, work or reside in the United States.

Munoz-Vargas was arrested, along with his nephew, Edgar Munoz-Munoz, 24, also a Mexican national, following the return of a partially unsealed, 14-count indictment in December 2011 and a search of his home as well as his girlfriend’s apartment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The 2 ½-year investigation leading to the charges revealed that Munoz-Vargas was the leader of a long-term narcotics conspiracy, in which large quantities of marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine were transported from Mexico, through the Rio Grande Valley, to Houston.

Munoz-Vargas and his organization utilized ports of entry throughout the Southern District of Texas in attempts to smuggle narcotics. Between November 2001 and March 2009, Munoz-Vargas and his organization were linked to nine separate narcotics seizures with a total of more than 300 kilograms of marijuana and seven kilograms of cocaine.

The indictment remains partially sealed pending the arrest of the remaining co-conspirators.

Munoz will remain in federal custody pending his sentencing before Judge Hanen on May 7.  He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and up to a life for the methamphetamine conviction as well as a maximum of 10 years for being an illegal in possession of a firearm. He also faces up to $10 million in fines.

Mexican Man Sentenced in Cocaine Case

McALLEN–A Mexican man was sentenced Friday to 29 years in federal prison for his role in a major drug trafficking operation out of South Texas 

Octavio Lopez-Ramos, 29, of Mexico, confessed to possessing with intent to distribute approximately 72 kilograms of cocaine, federal prosecutors said.

Lopez was charged in September 2010 and later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

At his plea on Dec. 3, 2010, he admitted earlier that summer that the cocaine discovered by officers with the McAllen Police Department (MPD) and special agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the execution of a search warrant at the residence was his.  

In arriving at the lengthy prison term, the court took into consideration, among other things, that Lopez’s criminal history fell within the career offender provision of the sentencing guidelines, as he had previously been convicted in Texas of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and two counts of aggravated kidnapping in 2007.

At the time of Lopez’s arrest in August 2010, he was a fugitive from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as he had escaped from their custody in April 2010. At the time of his escape, Lopez was serving a 12-year term of imprisonment for the 2007 drug conviction and a 20-year-term of imprisonment for the 2007 aggravated kidnapping convictions, which were being served concurrently.

Lopez, who has been in custody without bond since his arrest, will remain in federal custody to serve his sentence. Upon completion of his sentence, he will be returned to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to serve the remainder of his state sentences.