Mexican citizens residing unlawfully in the United States have received sentences or convictions for drug trafficking and identity fraud in the Southern District of Texas.
In a notable case, Rolando Banda-Lucero, a 41-year-old Mexican national, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison after being found guilty of trafficking over $1.2 million worth of cocaine. Upon completion of his sentence, he will face deportation proceedings.
The court noted that Banda-Lucero “lacked legal status to remain in the country and engaged in narcotics trafficking for financial gain,” highlighting his distinct role as a courier. His arrest occurred on October 25, 2023, during a drug operation in Pharr, a border town. Law enforcement had been monitoring a shopping center when they observed him exiting a van and handing over a duffel bag filled with cocaine to an individual he mistakenly believed was a buyer but who was actually an undercover DEA agent. The bag contained 20 bundles weighing a total of 22.5 kilograms, all of which tested positive for cocaine.
In two additional recent cases, other Mexican nationals faced convictions related to identity theft.
Carlos Bedolla Sanchez, a 42-year-old illegally residing in Houston, was sentenced for fraudulently utilizing the passport and identification of a U.S. citizen. Investigations revealed that he began impersonating a Puerto Rican-born U.S. citizen in March 2009 to secure a state driver’s license and various forms of U.S. identification, including a passport. He was apprehended in May 2022 while attempting to renew his passport and subsequently confessed to providing false information in his application and engaging in aggravated identity theft. After pleading guilty on March 18, he received a sentence of 16 months for the fraudulent use of the passport and an additional 24 months for the identity theft, with these sentences to be served consecutively. Due to prior felony drug convictions associated with the false identity, he was also sentenced to an additional 12 months for breaching the terms of supervised release; this latter sentence will run concurrently with the others. Following his prison term, he will face deportation proceedings.
In another instance, Jose Martin Valdez-Galvan, a 38-year-old Mexican national, was recently convicted by a jury in Laredo for illegally reentering the United States under an assumed identity. After four hours of deliberation over a two-day trial, the jury reached its verdict, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Valdez-Galvan was arrested last June in Laredo after he provided a false name and claimed to be a U.S. citizen. Investigations revealed that he had adopted another person’s identity to evade prior charges related to unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. During the trial, evidence indicated that Valdez-Galvan was an illegal alien who had previously been removed from the country and unlawfully reentered. He had taken on the false identity in 2015 following his second removal.
Throughout the trial, Valdez-Galvan admitted to using an alias; his mother testified that his actual name differed from the one he used, despite her earlier identification of him using the false name.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei stated, “Both public safety and basic common sense necessitate knowledge of who is entering and residing within our country. Individuals who assume false or stolen identities pose an increased criminal risk to our communities.” He further emphasized that “the theft of an American citizen’s identity by a foreign national is intolerable, and those who engage in such offenses will face prosecution, punishment, and potential deportation.”
Sentencing for Valdez-Galvan is pending, with the possibility of up to 20 years in federal prison and fines reaching $250,000.
