Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
LAREDO, Texas – A 48-year-old Mexican Mafia prison gang member has been ordered to federal prison after illegally being in the country again, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Jose Luis Regalado-Solis pleaded guilty June 5, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña has now imposed an 84-month sentence. Not a U.S. citizen, Regalado-Solis is expected to again face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
At the hearing, the court noted his prior federal felony convictions for transporting aliens and trafficking drugs in the United States, further commenting that he had also pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to assault eight members of a rival gang at a detention facility in August 2023. Judge Saldaña noted that the assault was particularly serious because Regalado-Solis used a shank to commit it.
“This is a clear example of why border security is so essential,” said Ganjei. “People with this type of criminal history and affiliation should not be allowed to illegally enter the country and establish themselves. We will be working diligently together with our partners to identify similar offenders, prosecute them and seek their removal from our country.”
Regalado-Solis had most recently been removed from the United States March 2, 2021, after serving a sentence for a previous illegal reentry after removal conviction and violation of supervised release. However, authorities encountered him March 29, 2023, in the McKendrick Ranch area near Laredo.
He has other convictions for illegal reentry, as well as possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute it and transporting an illegal alien for private financial gain, for which he had been previously sentenced and removed from the United States.
He has been and will remain in custody pending sentencing on his other case and ultimate transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
Border Patrol conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jose Homero Ramirez and Bryan Oliver prosecuted this case.
Updated February 10, 2025
