Mission man jailed for trafficking meth

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Mission man has been sentenced to federal prison following his convictions of two counts of possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of meth, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Esteban Almentor-Lopez, 31 pled guilty on two separate narcotics charges for March 1, 2021 and Dec. 20, 2022.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has ordered Almentor-Lopez to serve 70 months in federal prison for the initial drug trafficking.

In addition, Almentor-Lopez is to serve 50 months for the second conviction. The total 120-month sentence will be immediately followed by four years of supervised release.

In November 2020, law enforcement put together an operation involving communication with a Mexican drug source of supply. The organization was to deliver kilogram quantities of meth in the Rio Grande Valley for transport to Chicago.

Twice in November 2020, Almentor-Lopez transported and delivered a total of 40 kilograms of meth in Mission. He was arrested but granted bond pending further proceedings.

He pleaded guilty to those charges on March 1, 2021, but the next day, authorities again apprehended him transporting and delivering an additional 20 kilograms of meth on behalf of the same drug organization.

The approximately 60 kilograms of meth Almentor-Lopez trafficked showed a purity level of 100%, according to the news release.

Almentor-Lopez remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.