A “Mexican Mafia” gang member has recently been sentenced to 40 years behind bars.
Rocky Anthony Gamez of Conroe was arrested in Montgomery County in November 2022 and later found guilty of possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. Jurors returned a verdict after being presented with the facts surrounding Gamez’s arrest.
Gamez had already been arrested for a misdemeanor offense when an officer searched his vehicle in preparation for towing it. Ultimately, a firearm, a large quantity of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine and fentanyl, and evidence of Gamez’s intention to sell drugs. Fentanyl is estimated to kill approximately five people a day in Texas.
During Gamez’s sentencing hearings, prosecutors presented evidence related to his criminal history and affiliation with the Texas prison gang Mexican Mafia to suggest that he was highly likely to continue to traffic drugs and commit other crimes if released.
“Mr. Gamez openly boasted about his affiliations with a dangerous and violent gang and made active efforts to sell drugs, including fentanyl, to members of our community. His history has made it clear that he will continue this behavior unless he is incarcerated,” Montgomery County District Attorney Brett Ligon said, per the Montgomery County Police Reporter.
Among the facts raised by prosecutors were Gamez’s prior convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and manufacturing and delivering of a controlled substance, among other crimes. Moreover, they brought several pending charges against Gamez to the judge’s attention. These stemmed from allegations of domestic violence against his wife, for which Gamez was on bond at the time of his arrest.
The judge ordered Gamez to serve 40-year sentences concurrently for the possession with intent and unlawful possession of a firearm charges.
As of April 4, there have been 2,457 drug and narcotic violations in Dallas this year, according to the City’s crime dashboard, marking an increase over the number of offenses clocked during the same period last year.
Such criminal activity has been stretching the resources of the Dallas Police Department thin. DPD has been facing a critical staffing problem for years. It currently fields around 3,000 officers even though a City report recommended closer to 4,000 to address public safety needs adequately. With only $654 million budgeted for DPD this year, Dallas’ municipal government will be spending much less on public safety than other high-crime jurisdictions, like New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
The effects of DPD’s officer shortage can be seen in Downtown Dallas, which regularly logs significantly higher rates of drug crime compared to Fort Worth’s downtown area. The latter is patrolled by a dedicated police unit and private security guards.
