A Dallas suspect is facing 40 years in prison for distributing methamphetamine from Mexico.
U.S. District Judge Ada Brown sentenced Dallas resident Orlando Gerardo Mejia-Mendoza to 40 years in federal prison, according to a press release. He pleaded guilty in June 2025 to possessing meth with intent to distribute.
“Ejecting transnational drug traffickers from our streets is critical to protecting North Texas,” said U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould in the release. “This criminal spilled poison into our communities in exchange for money.”
The Scheme
Mejia-Mendoza was receiving shipments of liquid meth from Mexico in 2023, according to the release. Some shipments brought in as many as 20 to 25 kilograms – or 44 to 55 pounds – of meth at once, with the suspect paying $1,800 per kilogram.
The suspect reportedly used a Dallas apartment as a meth lab, where he converted meth from its liquid form to crystal.
“Agents found methamphetamine in various stages of conversion scattered about the apartment,” the release reads. “In another apartment used by Meji[a]-Mendoza, agents found multiple guns and cash.”
The Department of Justice included multiple photos of the suspect’s apartments, showing money, weapons, and a large amount of meth.
Mejia-Mendoza’s Dallas apartments with drugs and weapons. Courtesy | DOJ
Mejia-Mendoza’s Dallas apartments with drugs and weapons. Courtesy | DOJ
Mejia-Mendoza’s Dallas apartments with drugs and weapons. Courtesy | DOJ
Mejia-Mendoza’s Dallas apartments with drugs and weapons. Courtesy | DOJ
“The sentence of Mr. Mejia-Mendoza sends a clear message to drug traffickers that they will be held accountable for the distribution of poisonous drugs and violence in North Texas,” said DEA-Dallas Special Agent in Charge Joseph Tucker in the release. “This investigation demonstrates what coordinated, intelligence-driven, law enforcement can accomplish.”
The Investigation
Raybould applauded law enforcement and the office’s line prosecutor, who worked with the Dallas Homeland Security Task Force, for Mejia-Mendoza’s sentence.
The Dallas Homeland Security Task Force includes the FBI, the DEA, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations. Local agencies also assisted with the investigation, including the Dallas Police Department, the Coppell Police Department, and the Grand Prairie Police Department.
President Donald Trump established the task force through an executive order titled “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” This uses a “whole-of-government partnership” to target cartels, foreign gangs, international criminal groups, and human smuggling and trafficking rings.
“This lengthy sentence is another success for the Dallas Homeland Security Task Force,” said FBI-Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock in the release. “Our collective effort resulted in a member of a transnational criminal organization being held accountable for trafficking narcotics into the Dallas area.”
