Two Houston men are headed to federal prison following a crystal meth investigation that began with an undercover purchase and culminated with agents seizing over 133 kilograms of drugs. U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen sentenced each man to 162 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, in a statement made March 23, 2026, following a two-day trial and a jury deliberation that lasted less than an hour.
According to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, on November 18, 2025, jurors convicted Edgar Prudencio Ruiz, 24, and Damian Lee Gutierrez, 24, guilty. Judge Hanen later handed similar 162-month jail sentences and five years of supervised release for both men. Prosecutors said in court that the meth was imported from Mexico and that Ruiz and Gutierrez discussed price and delivery details with what they believed to be a buyer. The US Attorney’s Office also announced the news on X (previously Twitter).
The trial testimony traced the matter back to June 17, 2025, when an undercover cop approached the guys about a trade. Prosecutors claimed Ruiz and Gutierrez provided five kilograms of meth in that transaction. Shortly after, a traffic stop and a K-9 alert led officers to a package inside a Toyota Tacoma containing many gallon-sized bags of probable meth.
Investigators then obtained a search order for a residence and confiscated approximately 122 one-kilogram bags. According to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office, authorities discovered over 137 bags and nearly 133 kilograms of genuine meth, as well as two loaded 9mm firearms.
The case was filed in the Houston Division under No. 4:25-CR-385 and tried before U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen. The public docket entries reflect a two-day trial and a guilty conviction on November 18, 2025. Court filings and related case papers are accessible via public internet docket services and legal archives.
Federal law mandates a 10-year minimum penalty for trafficking offenses involving 50 grams or more of real methamphetamine or 500 grams or more of a combination (21 U.S.C. § 841). In this case, prosecutors noted that the approximately 133 kg reported in court exceeded that threshold by a large margin, and they used that figure to help frame their arguments at sentencing.
Prosecutors and local law enforcement officials have framed the case as part of a larger assault on high-volume meth sales and the precursor chemicals that keep supply lines functioning. Federal investigators cited a record precursor-chemical seizure linked to the Port of Houston in 2025 as an illustration of the extent of trafficking they claim is occurring in the region.
The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with cooperation from the Harris County Precinct 3 Constable’s Office, Houston, Pasadena, Stafford, and La Porte police departments, as well as the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer B. Lowery and Eric Smith prosecuted the case, and both men will stay in detention while awaiting transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility.
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