Texas Syndicate Gang Member “Diablo” Sentenced for Third Federal Drug Charge
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 58-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been sentenced to a total of 200 months in prison for meth trafficking and two supervised release violations, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux of the Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani
Tony Maldonado aka Diablo pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth Feb. 1, 2024.
U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Maldonado to serve 188 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release for this offense. At the hearing, the court heard Maldonado was on supervised release for two other federal drug cases, one from 2000 involving meth and one from 2013 for possession with intent to distribute heroin, when he was once again arrested for distributing narcotics. The court also heard that Maldonado was a long-time member of the Texas Syndicate prison gang.
Following this sentencing, Judge Morales considered the two supervised release violations. He was ultimately sentenced to 50 and 24 months for the 2000 and 2013 cases, respectively. The court ordered the 50-month-term to be served concurrently and 12 of the 24 months to run consecutively to the current sentence for a total of 200 months in federal prison.
In handing down the sentences, Judge Morales noted Maldonado’s extensive criminal history and that there must be consequences for violating his supervised release.
In mid-2023, law enforcement discovered Maldonado was distributing narcotics from his elderly parent’s home. After several months of investigation, authorities obtained a federal search warrant which they executed Aug. 29, 2023, at which time they seized 83.86 grams of heroin, 39.34 grams of meth and jail letters confirming his active status in the Texas Syndicate prison gang.
Maldonado will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the FBI, Corpus Christi Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Barbara J. De Pena and Brittany Jensen prosecuted the case.