A Midland woman and her brother, a Mexican national, have been handed substantial prison sentences in a federal court in Del Rio for their involvement in a drug trafficking organization (DTO). Blanca Estela Maldonado, 54, of Midland, and Federico Jose Maldonado-Aleman, 59, of Mexico, were sentenced to 262 months and 324 months, respectively.

Court documents reveal that the siblings were part of a DTO responsible for trafficking approximately 79 kilograms of methamphetamine within the Western District of Texas from December 2016 to September 2018. The organization utilized Blanca Maldonado's Midland residence as a primary pick-up/drop-off point, where they transported narcotics themselves and employed individuals to smuggle drugs across the border. Federico Maldonado-Aleman played a key role as a supplier and facilitator of smuggling operations.

U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas emphasized, "For two years, these defendants conspired as part of a Mexican DTO using one of the individual’s homes as a distribution hub." The investigation, conducted collaboratively by federal law enforcement partners, resulted in substantial prison sentences for the six drug traffickers involved in pushing dangerous drugs into communities.

Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee of Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Division stated, "These significant sentences send a clear message to criminal organizations that there are serious consequences for trafficking controlled substances." He emphasized HSI's commitment to pursuing transnational criminal investigations targeting individuals threatening the security of the United States.

Special Agent in Charge Daniel Comeaux for the Drug Enforcement Administration Houston Field Office added, "The collective number of years members of this organization will spend in prison shows our collective commitment to bringing those who bring devastating drugs to our communities to justice."

Earlier in the case, four additional codefendants were sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, resulting in a combined penalty of more than 141 years in prison for the six co-conspirators.