Man arrested in purported Gulf Cartel carjacking ring now faces federal charges

February 22, 2011 2:29 PM
Jared Taylor
The Monitor

McALLEN — Prosecutors brought federal charges against a man who already faces state charges for a carjacking ring purportedly operated by the Gulf Cartel.

Police arrested Edgar Quezada Luna, 20, last October after he allegedly robbed a black 2007 Mercedes Benz SUV in downtown McAllen.

After his arrest, Luna confessed to an August 2010 carjacking of a black BMW X5 sport utility vehicle at the Arts District Business Center, 813 N. Main St., a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court states.

During that carjacking, the victim told investigators Luna approached her vehicle and knocked on the window. He allegedly opened the driver’s side door, put a black handgun on the driver’s stomach and told her to get out of the vehicle.

Luna admitted to the carjacking to McAllen police investigators, the complaint states. When he was arrested by police, Luna also admitted to paying Fulgencio Buck Gonzalez about $150 to drive the BMW to Reynosa, where it was to be delivered to suspected members of the Gulf Cartel.

Luna and Gonzalez’s police confessions were published in an October 2010 story in The Monitor.

Gonzalez, the alleged driver, has not been formally charged in federal court.

Luna made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby on Tuesday in McAllen. He remains in custody pending a detention hearing set for Friday. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

Despite their arrests on felony charges in state district court, neither Luna nor Gonzalez have been indicted.

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/gulf ... allen.html