Cartel Del Noreste Leader 'Tocayo' Sentenced For Bringing Hitmen Into U.S.: 'A Direct Threat To The Safety Of South Texas'

cartel border gunfire — Representational image @TXDPS

A leader of Mexico's Cartel Del Noreste will serve the rest of his life in a U.S. prison after being sentenced for smuggling hitmen into Texas.

Concretely, Noe Gonzalez-Martinez, also known as "Tocayo," has been sentenced to life plus 60 months in a federal prison, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said, according to Border Report.

The sentence came after a federal grand jury convicted him in December 2023 of a series of charges, including murder-for-hire conspiracy, murder for hire, conspiracy to kidnap, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking-related crime.

Testimony heard during the trial linked the cartel leader to the recruiting, kidnapping and murder of a person the cartel believed had stolen from them. Three hitmen were tasked with kidnapping the suspected thief and taking him to Mexico so he would be made an example of. If they weren't able to do it, they were supposed to kill him inside the U.S.

"Through the conviction of Mr. Gonzalez-Martinez, the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) has dealt a major blow to the CDN cartel. This is, however, just the beginning. SDTX is pursuing every opportunity and every avenue to dismantle cartel operations on both sides of the border. Stay tuned," Ganjei said following the sentencing.

The three hitmen have also been sentenced to between 20 and 29 years in prison.

"This brazen scheme planned out by CDN is a direct threat to the safety and stability of South Texas. The campaign of terror, drug-trafficking, and violence this man employed has no place on American soil," said ICE-Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee.

The news come after another Cartel del Noreste member was sentenced to over five years in prison for stockpiling ammunition at the border with the intent to later smuggle it into Mexico.

Concretely, Charbel Garza Macias will serve 63 months in prison. He is expected to be deported to Mexico after the sentence.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo said the cartel member wanted to provide tools of war by getting the ammunition into Mexico.