Jefferson County man sentenced for drug trafficking in Eastern District of Texas

BEAUMONT, Texas - A Beaumont man has been sentenced for drug trafficking in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs.

Francisco Manuel Magdaleno, 41, was convicted at trial of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Magdaleno was sentenced to 265 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on January 7, 2025.

According to information presented in court, from February 2019 through May 2022, Magdaleno was involved in a conspiracy to traffic methamphetamine from Michoacán, Mexico, through Beaumont, Texas, and into areas throughout the United States. More than 20 known co-conspirators were a part of the conspiracy that included the Magdaleno drug trafficking organization.

The investigation revealed that Magdaleno played a central role in obtaining more than ten thousand grams of methamphetamine and distributing that methamphetamine to areas throughout Texas, Louisiana and Florida. Evidence obtained at trial revealed that Magdaleno was also a multi-kilogram distributor of cocaine.

This is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) case. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Beaumont HIDTA Task Force, Beaumont Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety-CID, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, and Chambers County Sheriff's Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Lee and Rachel Grove.

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