A 36-year-old man, identified as Phil Cuellar III, also known as Tex, has been sentenced for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Cuellar pleaded guilty on August 7, 2023. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now handed down a sentence of 168 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Notably, Cuellar was already on supervised release for a prior felon in possession of a firearm charge at the time of his drug-related arrest. Consequently, the court ordered an additional 20 months in federal prison, with 10 months to be served concurrently and 10 months consecutively, resulting in a total 178-month term of imprisonment.
During the sentencing hearing, the court considered additional evidence about Cuellar's criminal history, including his membership in the Tango Blast gang, two previous felony drug possession convictions involving intent to deliver, evading arrest in a vehicle, and another felon in possession of a firearm charge.
The investigation into Cuellar began after he attempted to sell narcotics to an individual he connected with on social media. On May 24, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Cuellar's residence, where they discovered 389 grams of meth, over 27 grams of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, THC cartridges, almost $20,000 in cash, and a loaded firearm reported as stolen.
Cuellar will remain in custody until his transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility is determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, Corpus Christi Police Department’s Gang Unit, and Homeland Security Investigations.
