Jose Luis Mata-Cedillo, an illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on October 1 after conviction for cocaine trafficking, possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and illegal re-entry after deportation as an aggravated felon.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the investigation began when a Homeland Security Investigations Task Force officer intercepted a courier transporting 27 kilograms of cocaine bound for St. Louis, Missouri. The investigation led to the seizure of approximately 13 kilograms of cocaine, $121,280 in cash, and a loaded 9-millimeter Glock handgun.
Mata-Cedillo has prior convictions in Washington for two counts of selling, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, and unlawfully transporting firearms.
Mata-Cedillo first illegally entered the United States through Texas in 2008 and was deported the same day. He then illegally re-entered the country at an unknown date and location, was deported a second time by the Trump Administration in August 2020, and illegally entered the country a third time at an unknown date and location. He will face deportation proceedings upon completing his prison sentence.