Eli Torres-Banos, a Mexican citizen, has been sentenced to 51 months in federal prison for possession of over five kilograms of cocaine intended for distribution. This sentencing was delivered by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson, following Torres-Banos' guilty plea on January 14, 2025.
In late November 2023, Torres-Banos was indicted for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation, with a subsequent arrest warrant issued. On December 6, 2023, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested him in Ixonia, Wisconsin, while he was near a blue Ford Explorer. During the transfer to the U.S. Marshals, Torres-Banos made a phone call to a person he identified as his wife, during which an ICE agent overheard him discussing drugs in the trunk of a vehicle. This information was promptly relayed to Jefferson County authorities. Officers, who had seen Torres-Banos with the Explorer earlier, found roughly 8 ½ kilograms of cocaine in the vehicle.
For his conviction of illegal reentry, Torres-Banos was sentenced on June 4, 2024, to one year in federal prison by Judge Peterson. At his sentencing for cocaine trafficking, Judge Peterson emphasized the severity of the crime, noting the large amount of cocaine involved and acknowledging that it stemmed from Torres-Banos' arrest for a different crime. Judge Peterson highlighted Torres-Banos’ criminal history, including a previous federal conviction for cocaine trafficking, as an aggravating factor. However, credit was given for the 12 months already served for the illegal reentry conviction.
The charges facing Torres-Banos were the result of an investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, ICE, the Jefferson County Drug Task Force, and the Watertown Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and Steven C. Ayala.