Two men from San Antonio, Texas, have been sentenced to federal prison for their involvement in a plan to commit armed robbery in Southern Oregon while posing as agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Jose Manuel Lopez, 24, received a sentence of 63 months in federal prison and four years of supervised release. Juan Carlos Conchas, 23, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison and four years of supervised release. Both were ordered to pay restitution to the victim jointly.
According to court documents, on March 12, 2022, deputies from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of an armed robbery at a rural address in Josephine County. Upon arrival, deputies found two empty vehicles with Texas license plates and several people running toward the back of the property. Inside the house, victims reported that armed individuals dressed as DEA agents and wearing body armor had restrained several people using zip ties and duct tape.
A search of the property revealed large plastic totes containing packaged marijuana inside buildings and vehicles. Authorities also found body armor, firearms, ammunition, shell casings, and badges resembling those used by DEA agents along the path where defendants fled.
Investigators determined that in late February 2022, members of the group traveled from San Antonio to Southern Oregon with plans to steal over 200 pounds of marijuana. Photographs recovered by investigators showed group members posing with firearms while dressed as DEA agents.
Lopez and Conchas were arrested in San Antonio on October 13, 2022.
A federal grand jury indicted Morales, Acuna, Conchas and other co-conspirators on September 1, 2022 for conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery; conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute; and using firearms during a drug trafficking crime.
Lopez pleaded guilty on December 6, 2024 to conspiring to interfere with commerce by robbery and conspiring to possess marijuana with intent to distribute. Conchas pleaded guilty on April 16, 2025 to similar charges.
Four additional co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty and been sentenced for their roles in this case.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with help from the Josephine County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety. The case is being prosecuted by Judith R. Harper, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
