Defendants plead guilty to several felony charges in Operation River Ratz
Written by Post Public Information Representative, Sep 20, 2016, Comments Off
Courtesy Yanira Deleon,
(Laredo, Texas)-The District Attorney’s Office secured a guilty plea in its case against Abraham Mendoza and Jesus Alejandro Calderon during Operation” River Ratz,” initiated by the Laredo Police Department Narcotics Division in late 2015.
On September 13, 2016, Abraham A.B. Mendoza, 23, (identified by law enforcement as one of the leaders of this local gang) entered a guilty plea before the 406th District Court on two indictments charging him with conspiracy to possess marijuana. He also entered a plea of true to a violating the conditions of his probation. He was sentenced to 10 years for each count (maximum punishment). The sentences will run concurrent.
On September 19, 2016 Jesus Alejandro Calderon A.K.A. Jesse Bangz with Mendoza, one of the principle leaders of the “River Ratz,” entered a plea of guilty before the 406th District Court on two separate offenses charging him with conspiracy to possess marijuana and conspiracy to smuggle persons/fatality. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Calderon, 17, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for each case. The sentences will run concurrent.
This criminal investigation developed into a multi-agency task force that targeted approximately seventy subjects involved in the organized smuggling and transport of drugs and persons, murder, home invasions, extortion, kidnapping, retaliatory assaults and auto theft. In addition to the Laredo Police Department, other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are participating in Operation “River Ratz” including Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division, DPS Highway Patrol and Troopers, Webb County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol, the Webb County Attorney’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office and the Region 2 Border Prosecution Unit.
To date, five indictments charging fifteen subjects with offenses ranging from possession of marijuana, conspiracy to possess marijuana, smuggling of persons/fatality and engaging in organized carinal activity are presently scheduled for trial in the 406th District Court. Additionally, other various targeted subjects have bene indicted by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas (Laredo Division).
Laredo Police Chief Ray Garner stated, “Only by continuing to work closely with our fellow law enforcement partners and with guidance from the Webb County District Attorney’s Office can we enhance our abilities to dismantle and disrupt the flow of narcotics into our community and apprehend the criminal actors responsible for these crimes. These arrests are a representation of the continued efforts to undoubtedly make our beloved City of Laredo into one of the safest cities in nation.”
District Attorney Isidro R. Alaniz added, “This law enforcement multi-agency investigation, Operation “River Ratz,” is designed and built for the long term interruption and dismantling of this criminal activity. Particularly, this law enforcement operation has and will continue to place emphasis on those members of the organization, like Calderon and Mendoza, who plan, control, and direct the criminal activities of their confederates from the periphery.”
This operation continues.
Assistant District Attorney Jack Frels and Francisco Mendoza prosecuted the case for the State.
