Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
TYLER, Texas – Two Mexican nationals were sentenced to lengthy federal prison sentences for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Leopoldo Alonso-Palacios, 38, and Juan Luis Salinas-Leon, 37, both Mexican nationals illegally living in Center, were sentenced to 168 months and 262 months, respectively, by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on June 23, 2025.
According to information presented in court, on March 4, 2025, Alonso-Palacios and Salinas-Leon were stopped while driving on Interstate-20 in Wills Point for speeding. During the stop, they consented to a search of the vehicle, which resulted in the discovery of 937.7 grams of methamphetamine. During his arrest, officers found Salinas-Leon in possession of a firearm. The two men then confessed to having additional methamphetamine at their homes in Center. Federal agents searched the residences, where they discovered large plastic tubs containing chicken lard that tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine, along with paraphernalia such as metal pots and mesh screens, materials commonly used in a methamphetamine conversion lab. At such clandestine labs, methamphetamine concealed in other substances is extracted by applying chemical processes and reconstituted into distributable drugs. In total, agents recovered more than six kilograms of methamphetamine ready for distribution as well as 22 kilograms of liquids in various stages of the conversion process, which also tested positive for the presence of methamphetamine.
Immigration records reveal that both men were unlawfully present in the United States and that Salinas-Leon has been previously prosecuted for illegally entering the country.
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; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive; Gregg County Sheriff’s Office; and Wills Point Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.