Marcos Gonzalez, a 62-year-old resident of Los Fresnos, Texas, was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine. The sentencing took place on January 8, 2026, before Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson in Madison, Wisconsin. After serving his prison term, Gonzalez will be subject to ten years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the charge on October 21, 2025.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Wisconsin, Gonzalez led a conspiracy between December 2023 and June 2024 that trafficked over thirty kilograms of cocaine from Mexico through southeast Texas and into Dane County, Wisconsin. He coordinated with others to smuggle the drugs across the border and arranged for a courier to deliver them to coconspirator Ernesto R. Abeyta in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin.
Judge Peterson stated that he imposed a lengthy sentence due to the “very aggravated” nature of Gonzalez’s crime. He noted that Gonzalez was responsible for trafficking a large amount of cocaine and had direct ties to a significant criminal organization in Mexico. Judge Peterson also described Gonzalez as “a committed recidivist,” referencing his previous convictions for similar offenses: twenty-two years served for a 1995 drug conspiracy conviction and another conviction in 2003 related to smuggling marijuana into federal prison while already incarcerated.
“Gonzalez is a career drug trafficker who leveraged his Mexican cartel connections to sell pounds of cocaine across the United States, including here in Dane County,” said Acting United States Attorney Elgersma. “Today’s sentence not only ensures significant prison time for the leader of a drug organization, but it also sends a message that the United States Department of Justice and its law enforcement partners are committed to using every legal tool available to disrupt and dismantle terrorist organizations that profit from addiction and violence. I commend everyone who played a role in bringing Gonzalez to justice.”
Coconspirator Ernesto R. Abeyta was previously sentenced by Judge Peterson on November 6, 2025, receiving nine years in federal prison for his involvement.
The investigation involved several agencies: Dane County Sheriff’s Office, Dane County Narcotics Task Force, Madison Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and IRS Criminal Investigation division. Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. Levins prosecuted the case.
This case is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created under Executive Order 14159—Protecting the American People Against Invasion—which coordinates government efforts against criminal cartels and transnational criminal organizations operating both domestically and internationally.
