Human smuggler with cartel ties sentenced for trafficking fentanyl laced with xylazine as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigation

LAREDO, Texas - A 24-year-old Laredo man has been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Jorge Humberto Medrano Jr. pleaded guilty Jan. 6.

U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered Medrano to serve 135 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.

At the hearing, the court heard how Medrano was closely tied to Cártel del Noreste. The court also considered the danger of fentanyl to include its high lethality and that Medrano trafficked fentanyl laced with xylazine which compounds its danger and possibility of death. Xylazine is a veterinary tranquilizer that is not affected by Narcan often used to save people overdosing on fentanyl. Xylazine can also lead to severe skin and soft tissue injuries characterized by deep ulcers that often expose tendons and bones.

In handing down the sentence, Judge Kazen noted how Medrano compounded the already extreme danger of fentanyl as compared to other drugs by lacing it with xylazine. The court also noted the fentanyl epidemic and related overdoses and deaths in the community and how Medrano's actions contribute to that.

The investigation revealed Medrano trafficked fentanyl and smuggled aliens for multiple years. Medrano had sold fentanyl laced with xylazine to undercover law enforcement on over 20 occasions and attempted to recruit others to smuggle illegal aliens.

His alien smuggling operation was directly tied to Cártel del Noreste. Authorities identified members in ledgers and intercepted alien smuggling events which included nearly 2,000 illegal aliens.

During a search of Medrano's residence, law enforcement recovered evidence of his criminal conduct and a hat bearing the insignia of Cártel del Noreste.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is now 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 U.S. 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 South Texas comprises agents and officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations; FBI; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Department of Transportation; IRS Criminal Investigation; Interpol/Department of State; and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas leading the prosecution.

Texas Department of Public Safety also provided significant assistance with this investigation.