Illegal Alien Methamphetamine-Trafficking Cell Leader Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison

Prosecution is part of Homeland Security Task Force effort to combat transnational criminal organizations

An illegal alien from Mexico was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his top leadership role in distributing methamphetamine in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.

In October 2024, Raymundo Bernal Saucedo ("Bernal"), 33, pled guilty to one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and aiding and abetting. He was sentenced on March 11, 2026, to 480 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Ada E. Brown.

"We are dismantling transnational drug trafficking networks in the Northern District of Texas through our indispensable partnership with Homeland Security Task Force agents," said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. "The lengthy sentence in this case is directly attributable to their diligent efforts, and we will continue to pursue the full measure of justice against those who traffic this poison in our communities."

"This sentence demonstrates that those who traffic dangerous quantities of methamphetamine into North Texas will be held accountable," said Joseph B. Tucker, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division. "The DEA, alongside our federal, state, and local partners remain committed to dismantling transnational criminal organizations and protecting our communities from this poison."

"The Dallas Homeland Security Task Force remains focused on targeting transnational criminal organizations. The collaborative effort of the HSTF resulted in a significant sentence and the reduction of narcotics on our streets," said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. "The FBI will continue to work with our partners to combat violent crime and drug trafficking in our communities."

According to court records, Homeland Security Task Force Group One agents began investigating Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area distribution cells affiliated with Michoacán, Mexico-based brokers, who arranged for an Arlington, Texas-area distribution cell to deliver two kilograms of methamphetamine to a DEA confidential source. After the controlled purchase, surveillance, and the execution of a search warrant at a storage unit, agents seized 77 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine along with multiple firearms and a drug ledger.

Court records reflect that agents identified Bernal, a Mexican citizen illegally present in the United States, as the individual overseeing this local distribution cell, whose members were not only involved the distribution of bulk methamphetamine, but also included the conversion of liquid methamphetamine into its finished distributable form. Bernal, himself, was actively involved in the conversion process acquiring pots, chemicals, buckets, and filler in addition to "cooking" the methamphetamine, and two weapons were recovered from his residence, which Bernal admitted in plea documents were used in furtherance of his drug trafficking offense. According to court records, this investigation led to multiple federal wiretaps of Bernal's and his coconspirators' telephones. In addition to Bernal's involvement in the conversion and distribution of methamphetamine in the Dallas area, investigators also learned that Bernal was responsible for smuggling contraband into jail facilities in Tennessee. All told, Bernal was held responsible for 1,946,000 kilograms of methamphetamine calculated as converted drug weight.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting, the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Dallas Group One comprises agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Homeland Security Investigations, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas (Dallas Division).