Two Mexican nationals sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking in Longview
TYLER, Texas – Two Mexican nationals illegally living in Longview, have been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Julio Cesar Tello-Olmos, 49, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on July 30, 2025.
Omar Resendiz-Ibarra, 35, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison by Judge Kernodle on July 30, 2025.
According to information presented in court, on May 2, 2024, the men were detained by law enforcement as passengers in a vehicle for a traffic violation. During the stop, officers deployed a K9 to conduct an open-air sniff of the vehicle, resulting in a positive alert for the presence of a controlled substance. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 2,972 grams of methamphetamine hidden in an interior void in the vehicle.
Immigration records reveal that both men are unlawfully present in the United States and that Tello-Olmos was previously deported in 2011 and again following convictions for two separate felony DWIs on January 17, 2020.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Gregg County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kilgore Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.