Armed Supermarket Robber Ordered to Prison for 14 Years (DOJ)

HOUSTON - A 34-year-old Houston resident has been sentenced for his convictions of using a firearm during the robberies of two area grocery stores, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Raul Castro pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to two counts of using, carrying and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Senior U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now ordered him to serve 84 months on each count to run consecutively. The total 168-month sentence will be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. The court also ordered that Castro make restitution to the two victim businesses.

On Oct. 6, 2023, Castro robbed El Ahorro grocery store on Capitol Street and La Michoacana supermarket on Gulf Freeway eight days later. In both instances, he placed items on the conveyor belt, waited for the cashier to open the drawer and demanded money at gunpoint.

During the El Ahorro robbery, he placed his gun to side of the cashier who then provided cash in fear for her safety and of being shot.

Authorities located Castro after he was found driving a stolen car. Upon searching the vehicle, law enforcement discovered clothing that matched those of the man who had committed the grocery store robberies. Castro also identified himself in surveillance footage of the Oct. 14 incident during an interview with federal investigators.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Houston Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ganz prosecuted the case.