US Attorney: 2 illegal immigrants charged after DEA investigation of Union City restaurant

UNION CITY, Tenn. — Two suspects are charged with federal drug offenses and illegal reentry after deportation as a result of an investigation into a drug operation at a Union City restaurant.

Christino Alcazar-Ortiz, 42, and Armando Alcazar-Ortiz, 37, both of Union City, are facing charges after a yearlong investigation involving Mi Tierra Caliente restaurant in Union City, which they owned, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

Authorities seized large amounts of methamphetamine, which was 95 percent pure, during the investigation, the release says.

The two were indicted Aug. 20 by a federal grand jury in Jackson for conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in the Union City area, according to the release.

The men are also charged with illegal reentry into the United States after having been previously deported.

The indictments were announced Tuesday.

The men were arrested Aug. 30 during an early morning raid by a task force made up of special agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Union City Police Department, according to the release.

If convicted, the defendants face not less than 10 years and up to life imprisonment, a $1 million fine and 5 years of supervised release for the controlled substance violations, the release says. They also face not more than 20 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for the illegal reentry charges.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Union City Police Department investigated the case.