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A native of Mexico, Galvan Chavez came to the United States in {{date needed}}, working as a dishwasher and eventually achieving citizenship through naturalization. He owned [[Cancun's Mexican Grill]] with locations in [[downtown Pensacola]] (which later closed), [[Gulf Breeze]] and [[Navarre]]. He was sympathetic to the immigrant community and temporarily closed his restaurants during the [[2006]] [[Wikipedia:Great American Boycott|Great American Boycott]] as an act of solidarity.<ref>"Hispanics show support." ''Pensacola News Journal'', April 29, 2006.</ref>
In February [[2007]], Galvan Chavez and his restaurants became the target of a federal investigation after he began meeting with an undercover [[Wikipedia:Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] source in Atlanta. In taped conversations, Galvan Chavez offered to sell the source 100 kilograms of cocaine and 100 pounds of methamphetamine.<ref name="affidavit">"Affidavit: Restaurants fronted major drug ring." ''Pensacola News Journal'', December 8, 2007.</ref> According to authorities, Galvan Chavez knowingly hired illegal immigrants, including [[Alejandro Hatem-Hernandez]], to work in his restaurants and in his drug operations. An acquaintance of Hatem-Hernandez was approached by federal agents and convinced to serve as an undercover informant for the investigation. They tracked the operation to Atlanta and Montgomery, where Galvan Chavez procured the drugs to resell in Northwest Florida. He allegedly used code in correspondence — for example, the word "car" represented a kilogram of cocaine, worth about $22,000<ref name="guilty"/> — and also sold "any type of firearm that [the informant] desired" through his associates.<ref>"[http://www.gulfbreezenews.com/news/2007/1213/front_page/001.html Feds: Chavez a drug kingpin.]" ''Gulf Breeze News'', December 13, 2007.</ref> According to Hatem-Hernandez, Galvan Chavez knew the main cocaine supplier in Atlanta, described as a mercenary who would "just go kill anybody," knew Galvan Chavez from "when they were kids."<ref name="affidavit"/>
[[Image:CancunsGulfBreeze.jpg|thumb|right|Cancun's Mexican Grill in Gulf Breeze]]