Houston Community Newspapers
Bay Area Citizen - News
League City men among drug gang suspects
By MARY ALYS CHERRY
Published: 01.26.09
Most of a gang of accused drug traffickers that allegedly included two League City men and a Pearland resident was arrested last week after a three-year federal investigation.

Ten men were jailed and four more were being sought by FBI agents.

Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson said the men conspired to traffic marijuana and cocaine and are part of a local gang called the Houstone Gang, which he said was a chapter of the Tango Blast prison gang.

Saul Salinas, 35, of League City was one of the ten arrested. So was Enrique Rodriguez Jr., 30, or Pearland.

Federal authorities are still looking for four other men, including Raul Sergio Madrigal, 29, of League City.

The other three on the run are Mario Alberto Gonzalez, 34, of Houston; Juan Mario Rangel, 28; and Ronnie Elmer Jackson, 36, of Navasota.

Besides a substanial stash of cocaine and marijuana and $12,000 in cash, federal officials also seized a number of luxury cars including a Bentley, a Maserati, a Hummer and a Mercedes, prompting Johnson to surmise that business must have been good.

The $18 million in goods which federal officials seized will be put up for auction to the public.

FBI Special Agent in Charge Andrew Bland had a word of warning to drug traffickers:

"Make no bones about it, we are here collectively to wage battle, to wage war, if you will, on any gang and all gangs that have decided to select Houston as their turf."

Besides Salinas and Rodriguez, others arrested were:

Edgar Madrigal, 24, of Houston;

Manuel Damian Juarez, 28, of Houston; n Sabas Cruz Deleon, 29, of Houston;

Eric Victor Arauza, aka E, 27, of Houston; n Cornelio Moreno, aka Mono, 22, Pasadena;

Sergio Rivera, 28, of Houston;

Phillip Jerome Barajas, 28, of Houston;

Ivan Nacianceno, 25, of College Station.

Sabas Cruz Deleon, 29, of Houston;

Cornelio Moreno, aka Mono, 22, Pasadena.

http://hcnonline.com/articles/2009/01/2 ... gang29.txt