Mexican Gang Leader Brought Hundreds Of Pounds Of Meth To San Diego: Authorities

SAN DIEGO, CA — A Mexican gang leader was sentenced in U.S. federal court to more than 17 years in prison after he trafficked over 100 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine per month to San Diego, according to authorities.

Nelson Alexander Flores, 52, of Tijuana, received 210 months in prison in connection with his work in an international drug conspiracy connected to the MS-13 and Mexican Mafia gangs, authorities said Tuesday. Between 2018 and 2020, he was involved in the distribution of methamphetamine in the U.S. from sources in Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“This defendant was responsible for moving more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine a month on behalf of violent international street and prison gangs,” Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden said in a department news release. “He imported these drugs into San Diego from Mexico, before they were sent to poison other communities throughout the United States.”

Flores is also completing a five-year sentence related to his role in a federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act case out of Ohio, and his prison terms will be served concurrently, according to authorities.