Final men sent to prison for their roles in international cocaine and drug money conspiracy

Press Release

LAREDO, Texas - Two Texans have been sentenced for their roles in distributing and conspiring to distribute cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Guillermo Fernando Rojo, 39, Laredo, and Gilbert Zambrano Saldivar, 45, Dallas, each pleaded guilty March 5 and April 4, respectively.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now imposed 120-month-terms of imprisonment for both men. They must also serve five years of supervised release following their sentences.

Two others - Omar Acosta, 41, Laredo, and Juan Ambrosio Barrientos-Cano, 34, Austin, were previously sentenced to the same terms of imprisonment.

Between November and December 2021, Acosta and Rojo directed another individual to travel from Laredo to Austin to retrieve five kilograms of cocaine and $9,000 in cash from Barrientos-Cano. He was to deliver the cocaine to their courier in Dallas and the money to the two men.

The cocaine had an approximate street value of $81,150.

In Dallas, he actually delivered bundles of sham cocaine to Saldivar, who was also acting on instructions from the two men and reported the bundles had been successfully delivered. Authorities intercepted the delivery and arrested Saldivar.

Several days later, Rojo contacted the individual to make payment arrangements for picking up cocaine from Barrientos-Cano and delivering the drugs to Saldivar. Law enforcement arrested the remaining three co-conspirators who confessed to their roles in the crime.

The investigation revealed previous incidents where co-conspirators delivered multikilogram quantities of cocaine from the Laredo border to major cities in Texas, Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and Mississippi.

The co-conspirators also collected several hundred thousand dollars of drug proceeds and delivered it to Acosta and Rojo to fund the organization's operations in the United States and Mexico.

Additionally, truck drivers smuggled cocaine bundles from Mexico and delivered them to Acosta, Rojo or to couriers who the men recruited, gave orders to and paid.

Acosta and Rojo transported approximately $280,000 in cash proceeds three weeks before their arrest and occasionally delivered up to $500,000 to Mexico in single smuggling episodes.

The investigation also revealed Mexican organizers paid Acosta and Rojo 5% of money collections from outside Texas and 2% of proceeds collected within Texas.

Rojo was permitted to remain on bond while Saldivar 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 investigation with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Marshals Service and police departments in Laredo and Austin.

Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Angel Moreno prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez handled the sentencings.

Updated November 4, 2024