Roma man tries to escape drug house through attic vent – lands in federal prison

McALLEN, Texas - A 35-year-old local man has been ordered to prison for trafficking $33 million in marijuana, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Adan Ontiveros Jr. pleaded guilty April 24 to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute nearly 2,500 kilograms of marijuana.

U.S. District Chief Judge Randy Crane has now ordered Ontiveros to serve 180 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release.

On July 16, 2020, law enforcement was conducting surveillance at a suspected drug house in Roma. There, they saw a man - Ontiveros - attempting to discretely exit the residence. He was trying to escape via an attic vent. However, authorities quickly took him into custody.

They obtained a search warrant and ultimately discovered several hundred bundles of marijuana. The total weight was 2,477 kilograms with an approximate value of more than $33 million.

He admitted he was aware there was marijuana inside the stash house.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Phelps and Roberto Lopez Jr. are prosecuting the case.