SANANTONIO -- A major bust in Hondo has eight Texas Mexican Mafia (TMM) members under arrest on federal drug charges.A ninth member was arrested on federal firearm charges while afinal suspect remains at large.
The nine arrested TMM members appeared for the first time before a federal judge in San Antonio on Tuesday.
They are currently being held without bond, and are scheduled back in court later this week.
According to the U.S. Attorney s Office, these TMM members are accused of enforcing what's known as the dime .
Whenever a drug dealer in Hondo, Poteet, or Pearsall would make a sale, the TMM allegedly collected 10 percentof the money.
Collection of the dime was enforced by severe bodily injury, robbery, or other acts of violence .
The nine men arrested: 30-year-old Paul Anthony Sanchez, of Hondo; 40-year-old Eduardo Garcia, of Poteet; 30-year-old Jason Ryan Gonzales, of Hondo; 29-year-old Christopher Ybarra, of Hondo; 31-year-old Jesus P. Sanchez, of San Antonio; 31-year-old Adrian Lemus, of Hondo; 23-year-old John Jay Navarro, of Pearsall, and, 29-year-old Andrew Rodriguez, of Hondo.
Sanchez and Rodriguez face additional drug distribution charges.
Meanwhile, investigators are still looking for the tenth suspect, 37-year-old Joseph Andrew Correa, of Hondo.
