Aaron Martinez

El Paso Times

A Lower Valley church deacon pleaded guilty last week in a scheme to smuggle tons of marijuana from El Paso and Arizona for distribution across the country, court records show.

Luis Ulysses Carrasco Reid, 54, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to one count of conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute.

A sentencing date has been scheduled for Dec. 7 before U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo.

According to court records, Carrasco, who is listed as Luis Ulises Carrasco in jail records, was originally scheduled to go to trial Monday before he reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

Carrasco, who also went by the names “"Negro" and "El Pastor," was one of at least 19 people arrested in connection with the drug case, authorities said.

He had been a deacon for about three years and was assigned in 2014 to Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 9205 North Loop Drive.

El Paso Catholic Diocese officials said that Carrasco remains on leave from his position.

Carrasco was arrested by federal agents May 11 in connection with the ring, labeled the Adan Reyes Drug Trafficking Organization by federal agents, which smuggled tons of marijuana from El Paso and Arizona, documents say.

He has remained out of jail after posting a $10,000 bond May 18, records show.

The ring was named after a suspected high-ranking member, Adan Reyes-Rodriguez, who was arrested by federal agents in November.

Reyes-Rodriguez, who is also known as "Papa" and "Señor,” is charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to distribute marijuana with intent to distribute, two counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, three counts of conspiracy to laundering of monetary instruments, and two counts of laundering of monetary instruments.

He pleaded guilty to the charges in July and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 30 before Montalvo.

The ring, which had been operating since 2006, was "shipping hundreds of pounds of marijuana per week and were increasing the amounts each week," according to court documents.

The drugs were allegedly transported hidden in horse trailers, 18-wheelers and trailers pulled by pickups from El Paso to customers across the United States, documents state.

The marijuana was taken from El Paso and Arizona to the towns of Dumas and Cactus in the Texas Panhandle, where the marijuana was "prepared for large scale distribution" to other cities, documents state.

“This investigation was initiated in 2011 and focused on the Adan Reyes Drug Trafficking Organization, which the FBI considered to be the largest marijuana drug trafficking organization based in the El Paso area,” said Keith Byers, FBI assistant special agent in charge in El Paso. “It is estimated that this organization distributed approximately 1,000 pounds of marijuana each week throughout the United States. The organization is believed to have distributed marijuana to such cities as Houston, Chicago, Memphis, Kansas City and Amarillo.”

During the investigation by El Paso law enforcement, seven search warrants were issued for businesses, homes and storage units, including two in El Paso, two in Phoenix and one each in Las Cruces, Vado and Amarillo.

El Paso agents seized more than $1.7 million during the investigation.

According to court documents, more than 20 homes and apartments allegedly used by the ring were ordered to be forfeited to the U.S. government.

The investigation in the El Paso area was conducted concurrently with FBI officials in Amarillo, Byers said.

Two men were arrested in Dumas and Cactus in connection with the FBI’s investigation in El Paso.

Guadalupe “Lupe” Reyes, who officials said is Reyes-Rodriguez’s brother, and Marco Saucedo were arrested in December on drug smuggling charges, records show.

According to court documents, Guadalupe Reyes is facing a count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana in the Northern District of Texas federal court.

According to an indictment, Guadalupe Reyes was allegedly a “multi-pound marijuana distributor in the Cactus, Texas area.”

The indictment also states that Guadalupe Reyes “is responsible for the distribution of several hundred pounds of marijuana per week throughout the area as well as Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio and Nebraska.”

Saucedo is also facing a count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana.

Guadalupe Reyes and Saucedo have both pleaded guilty to the charges. Saucedo is scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday, while Guadalupe Reyes will be sentenced in November.

Also facing drug smuggling charges in the Northern District of Texas is Manuel Rodrigues Reyes.

He is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. According to court records, he has a rearraignment hearing Tuesday.

Manuel Rodrigues Reyes is also Reyes-Rodriguez’s brother, officials said.

Several other ring members arrested in the El Paso area in connection with the scheme also have pleaded guilty, including Octavio "Tavito" Realzola, Luis "Becerro" Rogelio Nava, Damian "Chico" Gonzalez, Luis Antonio "Tony" Ramirez, Roy Realzola, Ramon "Raymond" Zambrano, Alfredo Marrufo, Evaristo Mario Sanchez, Blas Enrique Murrieta-Valenzuela, Tania Medrano, Oscar Rincon, Ralph Muñiz, John “JT” Hair, Hector Moreno Montano and Juan Reyes Jr., who is also a brother of Reyes-Rodriguez.

The sentencing dates range from October to December.

The investigation, which began in 2011, into the drug ring was led by the FBI, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Arizona Financial Crimes Task Force.

“This investigation is another great example of the strong partnership between the FBI, IRS, DEA and HSI,” FBI El Paso Division Special Agent in Charge Douglas E. Lindquist said in a statement. “These 17 convictions are the product of significant hard work and cooperation among law enforcement personnel in both Texas and Arizona.”

Aaron Martinez may be reached at 546-6249; aamartinez@elpasotimes.com; @AMartinez31 on Twitter.