MOBILE, AL — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Alabama, Southern), published as received.
MOBILE, AL – Two illegal aliens, Adan Ubaldo Sepulveda-Ruiz (39), and Juan Ali Popoca-Flores (42), both citizens of Mexico, were sentenced in federal court to lengthy prison terms for their roles in a large-scale drug trafficking operation.
According to court documents, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) initiated an investigation into multiple cocaine distributors operating in Mobile, Alabama. Following the December 2022 arrest of a Mobile-based cocaine and heroin distributor—who was found in possession of approximately nine kilograms of cocaine—federal agents continued to investigate the source of supply. Their investigation identified Sepulveda, a noncitizen unlawfully residing in the Houston, Texas, area, as the primary supplier for the arrested distributor and other bulk traffickers.
On March 31, 2025, Sepulveda and Popoca were arrested after a traffic stop in Houston. During the stop, law enforcement officers discovered approximately $442,900 in cash inside the vehicle, which was determined to be drug proceeds. Officers also recovered a detailed drug ledger documenting the distribution of thousands of kilograms of cocaine and tens of millions of dollars in related payments.
Sepulveda pleaded guilty to conducting a continuing criminal enterprise and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. Popoca pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and received a 68‑month prison sentence.
Upon completion of their sentences, both defendants were ordered to be transferred to U.S. immigration authorities for removal proceedings. The Court also ordered the forfeiture of all property seized during the investigation, including the cash and vehicle involved in the defendants’ arrest.
“Complex criminal organizations are not dismantled overnight,” said FBI Mobile Special Agent in Charge Christopher R. Flowers. “The sentences imposed on Adan Ubaldo Sepulveda-Ruiz and Juan Ali Popoca-Flores reflect the results of a long-term investigation conducted by the FBI and our law enforcement partners, who worked tirelessly to uncover the full scope of this drug trafficking operation. We especially want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its commitment and hard work in successfully prosecuting this case.”
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, United States Customs and Border Protection, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office, the Mobile Police Department and multiple state and local partners in Texas. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gloria Bedwell and Justin D. Kopf prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Mobile comprises agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, and the United States Customs & Border Protection with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Alabama.
