Drug Trafficker....Gets 16-Year Sentence ["La Santa Muerta", "Jesus Malverde" cultist]

Jesus Huerta, 27, of Johnson City, was sentenced Thursday to serve 16 years in federal prison.

Huerta and other members of the organization were responsible for the distribution of more than 13,000 kilograms of marijuana across the U.S. for a profit exceeding $7 million, officials said.

Huerta and others obtained bulk marijuana from Mexico for distribution in Tennessee and elsewhere. Members of the organization also cultivated at least one marijuana grow operation in the Pisgah National Forest in N.C. During the investigation, DEA agents and Washington County Sheriff's Office investigators discovered that members of the organization were using iconic figures from the Mexican culture as a means to protect themselves from law enforcement agents and to provide them with luck. These figures include "La Santa Muerta," known in Mexican culture and the "Saint of Holy Death," and "Jesus Malverde," who is commonly referred to as the "Patron Saint of Narco Traffickers." Neither figure is recognized by the Catholic Church. The worship of these figures is becoming more widespread across the U.S., and this investigation marks the first significant encounter of these figures in the Eastern District of Tennessee, officials said.

As a result of the investigation, law enforcement agents seized more than $150,000.00 in U.S. currency, numerous firearms, 789 kilograms of packaged marijuana, and 3,717 marijuana plants which were discovered by an off-duty employee of the U.S. Forest Service in the Pisgah National Forest in McDowell County, N.C.

During the investigation, DEA agents and Washington County Sheriff's Office investigators discovered that members of the organization were using iconic figures from the Mexican culture as a means to protect themselves from law enforcement agents and to provide them with luck. These figures include "La Santa Muerta," known in Mexican culture and the "Saint of Holy Death," and "Jesus Malverde," who is commonly referred to as the "Patron Saint of Narco Traffickers." Neither figure is recognized by the Catholic Church. The worship of these figures is becoming more widespread across the U.S., and this investigation marks the first significant encounter of these figures in the Eastern District of Tennessee, officials said.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.