EAGLE PASS, Texas — A Texas man was sentenced to 37 years in prison for conspiracy to import and distribute methamphetamine following an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office.
Joseph Ivy, 45, was sentenced July 1 by a federal judge to 444 months in prison. His spouse Yvette Contreras, 35, was sentenced April 23, 2023, to 300 months.
“This Texas couple pushed large amounts of methamphetamine onto South Texas streets, and this lengthy prison sentence officially puts them out of business,” said HSI San Antonio Deputy Special Agent in Charge. “HSI is committed to disrupting prolific drug traffickers like Joseph Ivy and Yvette Contreras — criminals with no regard for the incredible damage they inflict on so many lives and communities.”
According to court documents, Ivy imported and sold large amounts of methamphetamine. Deputies from the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on the couple’s home in Catarina Aug. 18, 2020, discovering 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine; $7,389 in cash; two firearms and a ledger documenting narcotic transactions.
On Aug. 21, 2023, Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office deputies apprehended Ivy during a traffic stop and found 2.4 kilograms of methamphetamine in his vehicle. He admitted to transporting 3 kilograms of methamphetamine to Moorhead, Minnesota, and 4 kilograms to Charlotte, Texas. He and Contreras also admitted to working with a third conspirator, Margaret Charles Garcia. On at least two occasions, Garcia imported methamphetamine from Mexico under Ivy’s instruction.
A third defendant is pending sentencing. Margaret Charles Garcia pleaded guilty March 7, 2022, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Garcia’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 2.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Western District of Texas Brett Miner and Zach Bird prosecuted the case.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.