Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeLocal / Area News15 INDICTED AND ARRESTED IN COCAINE TRAFFICKING RING

15 INDICTED AND ARRESTED IN COCAINE TRAFFICKING RING

Drug trafficking organization accused of funneling cocaine through Southeast Texas

A federal investigation into a wide-spread cocaine distribution ring has resulted in the arrest and indictment of 15 individuals in the Eastern District of Texas. Termed Operation South Park, much of this was tied to the Gulf Drug Cartel according to John Bales, U.S. Attorney.

The 3-count sealed indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on Nov. 17, 2010, charging 15 defendants with conspiracy with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy with intent to distribute marijuana, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Federal, state and local agents made arrests on Wednesday..

The indictment alleges that from 1995 through Nov. 17, 2010, the defendants, from Texas, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Tennessee, conspired to distribute cocaine and marijuana through the Eastern District of Texas. They are also accused of being involved in a money laundering conspiracy in support of their drug trafficking activities.

The indictment seeks forfeiture of $40 million; 11 pieces of real estate property in Houston, Spring, Conroe and Richmond, Texas; and six automobiles including a Ford F-150 Raptor, owned by Longoria at the Green Jade location. A Jeep Rubicon, owned by Espinosa at the Green Jade location. A Ford F-150 owned by Espinosa on the Green Jade location. A 2004  Hummer from Houston. Another F-150 Ford pickup from Houston and a 2003 Chevrolet Tahoe owned by Marco Villareal at the Forest Brook location.

If convicted, the defendants face a minimum of 10 years and up to Life in federal prison for the cocaine charge; a minimum of five years and up to 40 for the marijuana charge; and up to 20 years in federal prison for the money laundering charge.

This case is being investigated by the DEA, Texas DPS, Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Houston Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Pasadena Police Department, La Porte Police Department, Beaumont Police Department, Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Marshals Service, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Texas National Guard, National Drug Intelligence Center Document and Media Exploitation Team, Rosenberg Police Department, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection in cooperation with federal agents in Philadelphia, Jackson, MS, and Hermosillo, Mexico. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Craft.

Federal agents spent most of Wednesday in Montgomery County. One location was a piece of property at 16685  Firetower Road just off FM 1485. The property was being used to, as an employee stated, collect Green Material to be ground up for fuel for power plants. She said they were not a mulch plant. At that location dozens of roll off containers with tree debris sits idle along with piles of tree debris. Several 18-wheelers were removed from that property and a notice of intention to seek criminal forfeiture was filed. The business operating there was L&E Waste Management. The name on the mailbox was Villarreal and CGH Inc. Villarreal was one arrested and named in the indictment on Wednesday.

Two other locations were homes at 3902 Jade Creek, and 3903 Jade Creek  in the Benders Landing Subdivision. In addition 23006 Westgate Village in the Northgate Crossing Subdivision. Several other locations were also hit in the Houston area.

The first count of the indictment is Conspiracy with intent to distribute a controlled substance (cocaine HCL). The indictment states that the criminal actions took place between 1995 and November 17, 2010. The penalty for this count is not less than ten years or more than life in prison, a fine not to exceed $4 million dollars or both. and federal probation of not less than 5 years or more than life.

The second count of the indictment states that from on or about March 2007 and continuing through May 2, 2009 Terrence Cornelius Young, did knowingly and intentionally combine, conspire, confederate and agree with other persons to distribute and process with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. The penalty for this count is not less than 5 years or more than 40 years and a fine not to exceed $2 million dollars or both. Also probation not less than 4 years or more than life.

Count three of the indictment states several of the defendants did or did intend to distribute and possess 5 or more kilograms of cocaine and handle bulk money transactions from the purchasers of the cocaine from Longoria-Espinosa drug trafficking organization in the Southern District of Mississippi. The penalty for this charge is not more than twenty years in prison and a fine not to exceed five hundred thousand dollars.

Bales hopes the ones arrested will cooperate with authorities in attempt to arrest others involved in the operation. He did state he thought several would as a LIFE sentence is a long time.

Named in the indictment were:

 

Defendants

DOB

City of Residence

(3)

Terence Corneilus Young

a/k/a "T"

5/18/1984

Humble, Texas

(4)

Leon Woodard

a/k/a "Za"

02/10/1969

Upper Darby, PA

(5)

Edward Longoria

a/k/a "Marlo", a/k/a "E", a/k/a "Ed"

06/08/1968

Spring, Texas

(6)

Lorenzo Mota Espinosa

a/k/a "Primo", a/k/a "Daniel", a/k/a "Brother-in-law", a/k/a "Traffic", a/k/a "El-Travieso"

06/11/1970

Spring, Texas

(7)

Lawrence Ballard

a/k/a "Beaver"

05/11/1969

Richmond, Texas

(8)

Alvaro Teodoro Soto

a/k/a "Puma", a/k/a "Al", a/k/a "Old Man"

02/19/1960

Spring, Texas

(9)

Warren Randle

a/k/a "West", a/k/a "W", a/k/a "J Dub", a/k/a "J Dov"

08/09/1969

Houston, Texas

(10)

Marco Antonio Villareal

a/k/a "Rojo", a/k/a "Red"

03/02/1967

Conroe, Texas

(11)

Frank Young

a/k/a "Noonie"

03/09/1970

Houston, Texas

(12)

Mindy Kay McGilvrey

a/k/a "Mindy Kay"

05/05/1972

Spring, Texas

(13)

Jonathan Williams

a/k/a "Kilo"

12/30/1968

Jackson, MS

(14)

Frederick Franklin

a/k/a "Diddy"

03/31/1963

Jackson, MS

(15)

Xavier Gray

a/k/a "X", a/k/a "Javier"

11/20/1978

Nashville, TN

(16)

Gilbert Galindo

a/k/a "Gilberto"

5/20/1968

Houston, Texas

(17)

Gabriel Jaime Leal, Jr.

a/k/a "Gabe"

08/05/1983

Houston, Texas

 

 

 

IMGA0318 IMGA0319

 

Map picture
- Advertisment -
RELATED ARTICLES
- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -

Most Popular

- Advertisment -

Recent Comments

- Advertisment -