OCDETF investigation sends leader of cartel-linked drug trafficking, money laundering conspiracy to prison for 27 years

HOUSTON — The leader of an international drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy carried out on behalf of the Gulf Cartel in Mexico was sentenced to 27 years in federal prison Dec. 12 following a multiagency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston, Drug Enforcement Administration Houston, IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Houston Police Department.

Ezequiel Alanis Espitia, a 40-year-old citizen of Mexico, was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to 27 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release for money laundering and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. Espitia pleaded guilty to the charges on May 17.

At the hearing, the court heard how Espitia was the leader of the conspiracy that spanned more than eight years and involved at least 39 kilograms of cocaine, 6 kilograms of fentanyl, 2.5 kilograms of heroin and 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. The court also heard how Espitia maintained stash houses for the purpose of distributing illicit narcotics and was directly involved in the importation of controlled substances from Mexico into the United States. During the investigation, law enforcement officials seized $610,400 in drug proceeds.

To date, 16 individuals have been convicted for their roles in the conspiracy, including Espitia’s brother, Ramiro Alanis Espitia, a 44-year-old citizen of Mexico, who received 60 months in prison to be immediately followed by four years supervised release; Espitia’s wife, Brenda Natalie Alanis Duran, a 39-year-old resident of Houston, who has been convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 13; and his sister, Maria Isabel Lara Alanis, a 55-year-old citizen of Mexico, who has been convicted and is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 17, 2024.

Espitia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted the case.

For more news and information on HSI’s efforts to aggressively investigate drug trafficking and money laundering in Southeast Texas follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSIHouston.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’ largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.