McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — The former leader of the Cartel del Noreste drug cartel pleaded guilty in federal court in San Antonio to several charges of drug trafficking.
Juan Gerardo Treviño-Chavez, aka “El Huevo,” pleaded guilty Tuesday to 15 counts related to drug trafficking through Mexico and the U.S. border, U.S. officials said.
Treviño-Chavez, 42, led the Cartel del Noreste after it broke off from Los Zetas cartel, from September 2016 until his arrest in March 2022. The Mexican border town of Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas, is considered a stronghold for the cartel.
He pleaded guilty to 11 charges in the Western District of Texas including:
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.
- Conspiracy to import marijuana.
- Unlawful distribution of controlled substances.
- Conspiracy to employ a person under 18 in drug operations.
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
- Conspiracy to import cocaine.
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Conspiracy to import methamphetamine.
- Conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.
- Possession of a machine gun in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
- Money laundering.
He also pleaded guilty to four counts charged in the Eastern District of Texas including:
- Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
- Continuing a criminal enterprise.
- Smuggling goods from the United States.
- Conspiracy to commit money laundering.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in May 2025 and faces up to life in prison.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.