Mexican National Sentenced to 8 Months in Prison For Felony Illegal Reentry of a Removed Alien

HAMMOND - Hector Manuel Retana-Garcia, 29 years old, of Mexico, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to felony Reentry of a Removed Alien, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.

Retana-Garcia was sentenced to 8 months in prison, followed by 1 year of supervised release. Because he has no legal status in the United States, Retana-Garcia will be subject to a separate and immediate removal process upon his release from prison. The supervised release term will go into effect if Retana-Garcia remains in, or returns to, the United States within that period.

"The Defendant was a member of the Sureños 13 - a violent organization with ties to the Mexican Mafia prison gang - and he has the tattoos to prove it," said U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred.

"He was previously convicted of two felony counts in North Carolina, and ICE removed him from the country after he served time in prison for those offenses. Instead of staying home in Mexico, he came back to the United States illegally. The Defendant has repeatedly violated our Nation's borders, laws and sovereignty. This successful prosecution highlights the critical partnership between local and federal law enforcement and serves as a firm warning to violent offenders who violate U.S. immigration law," Mildred said.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Francis Sohn.