Mexico Drug Gangs Had a 'Spy' Working in Texas U.S. Attorney's Office

Federal prosecutors have busted one of their co-workers who worked as a spy for a variety of Mexican drug gangs.

The Washington Times reports that the sister and brother-in-law of a paralegal working at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Antonio were distributors of the methamphetamines produced by the Mexico-based criminal enterprise.

Prosecutors charged Jennifer Loya, a paralegal who had access to surveillance records, warrants and other sensitive information, with obstruction of justice, conspiracy to obstruct justice and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

FBI Special Agent Jacob Dezern, in an affidavit, said the woman was helping out her sister Kimberly Loya and her sister’s husband Roland Gustamante, who were San Antonio distributors for the Fernandez-Vasquez drug smuggling organization, part of the Cartel de Noreste.

Agent Dezern also said a number of drug organizations in San Antonio maintain loose ties with each other, and it appears Jennifer Loya, who had worked for the office for three years, had helped several of them.

The DEA says they began to suspect a spy on the inside when a leader of one of the drug gangs was arrested and he boasted he’d been tipped off.

The Times reports that Gustamante warned another narco that he was being watched.

In one text exchange reported in the court documents, Mr. Gustamante warned Jonathan Chapa, head of one of San Antonio’s drug organizations, that another person had “snitched” and the feds were on to him.

“Games on and you in the hot seat,” Mr. Gustamante said, adding, “If you understand do your thing Cuz dont waist [sic] time.”

KSAT TV reports the feds spied on paralegal and found out she’d been key in providing information to narcos.

When federal agents conducted a search warrant for narcotics in February in connection with the investigation, they only found a small amount of narcotics.

One of the suspects told police that they were alerted that a search warrant was going to be executed by a woman named “Maria,” who told them they were targets of a DEA investigation.

In March, another person informed investigators that Gustamante has a sister-in-law who works for the U.S. government as a paralegal. The witness told agents that the paralegal provided information to Gustamante about law enforcement activity.

Investigators began looking into Loya, and discovered she printed documents pertaining to the investigation, according to court documents.

The paralegal was released on bond. Her sister and brother-in-law are charged with drug dealing and money laundering.