An undocumented immigrant from Mexico with a felony criminal history has been sentenced to more than four years behind bars after returning to the U.S. following multiple previous removals.
Jose Manuel Cruz-Diaz, 34, who had illegally resided in Houston, pleaded guilty to charges related to his reentry on March 28.
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Cruz-Diaz has been ordered to serve 57 months in federal prison. He is also expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.
In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Cruz-Diaz had been removed four times previously and was a drug dealer.
He has three prior felony convictions for illegal reentry and evading arrest with a motor vehicle. He was also convicted of delivering black tar heroin and methamphetamines, being sentenced to 10 years in state prison for those crimes.
He was first removed from the United States in 2011 and most recently in 2016. Authorities discovered him in Houston again in Jan. 2020 upon his arrest for distribution of controlled substances.
Cruz-Diaz will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
