AMARILLO, Texas — An Amarillo man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison following a jury conviction for drug possession, intensified by a lengthy criminal history.
Court records show that in November 2024, an Amarillo Police Department officer stopped a Hyundai traveling west on Amarillo Boulevard due to a broken rear taillight. The driver, identified as Leopoldo Thomas Salazar II, appeared nervous during the stop and consented to a vehicle search.
Officers discovered a container in the center console holding 5.32 grams of methamphetamine, later confirmed through laboratory testing. Salazar was booked into the Potter County Detention Center on a charge of possession of more than four grams but less than 200 grams of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony.
Approximately one month later, Salazar was stopped again near Northeast 3rd Avenue and North Grand Street. During that encounter, officers found him in possession of additional drugs, leading to another felony arrest.
A Potter County grand jury indicted Salazar in February on the second-degree felony charge and again in March on the subsequent state felony. Prosecutors included enhancement allegations tied to prior drug convictions from 2006 and 2008, classifying Salazar as a habitual offender and increasing the sentencing range.
Court documents also show Salazar pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in 2014 related to the takedown of the Omar Mendoza drug trafficking organization. In that case, he admitted to selling methamphetamine to an undercover agent.
Salazar elected to take his case to trial and requested the jury determine both guilt and punishment. After a two-day trial, the jury found him guilty. Following an additional hour of deliberation the next day, jurors sentenced Salazar to 60 years in prison.
