West Texas Drug Ring Leader Gets 35 Years, Must Pay $37M

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Prosecutors say the leader of a West Texas-based drug trafficking ring must serve 35 years in federal prison and pay nearly $37 million to the government.

Adan Reyes was sentenced Thursday afternoon in El Paso. The 38-year-old Reyes last July pleaded guilty to a 10-count indictment on charges including conspiracy, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and money laundering.

Investigators say Reyes ran the operation from mid-2006 to late 2015, employing a network of traffickers to help supply drugs mainly to the Midwest. Prosecutors say 14 members of the Reyes drug trafficking organization have now been convicted and sentenced to federal prison.

Reyes, in addition to the money judgment, must forfeit more than $3 million of property in El Paso and Ruidoso, New Mexico, plus firearms.