24 Arrested in Crystal City Area-Based Cocaine Distribution Operation
Federal, state and local law enforcement have arrested 23 individuals, including 35-year-old alleged ringleader George Alamillo of San Antonio, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine in the Crystal City, La Pryor, Carrizo Springs and San Antonio areas announced United States Attorney Robert Pitman, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit, Houston Division, and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Janice Ayala, San Antonio Division.
An eight–count indictment, unsealed today, charges those arrested, along with 44–year-old Gabriel Martinez (aka “Gabby”), who was already in custody prior to yesterday, with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. A list of the defendants arrested yesterday is below. Defendants face between five and 40 years, or up to 20 years, in federal prison upon conviction for the drug conspiracy charge.
The indictment alleges that from February 2014 to September 2014, the defendants participated in a cocaine distribution conspiracy. During this investigation, authorities have seized approximately one kilogram of cocaine, 660 pounds of marijuana, 15 firearms (including 10 AK-47s and one MAC-10 semi-automatic pistol), approximately $33,000 in U.S. Currency and three vehicles.
In addition to the drug charges, several defendants including Gerardo Martinez, Gabriel Martinez, Claudio Jimenez and Javier De la Rosa are charged with knowingly transporting undocumented aliens. Each defendant faces up to ten years incarceration upon conviction.
Domingo Aguilar also faces a single charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a drug user. The indictment alleges that on June 10, 2014, Aguilar was unlawfully in possession of a .22 caliber American Tactical Rifle. Aguilar faces up to ten years incarceration upon conviction.
Martha Perez also faces a misprision of felony charge whereby she allegedly was aware of the drug distribution conspiracy and had possession of a cell phone used by a co-defendant to facilitate the operation, yet denied ever possessing the phone to authorities. Perez faces up to three years incarceration upon conviction.
“The success of this operation exemplifies the outstanding teamwork among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in the Eagle Pass region. DEA will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners in order to improve the quality of life in the communities throughout this area,” stated DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit.
These charges and arrests resulted from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the United States Border Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Eagle Pass Police Department, 293rd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office, Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office, Kinney County Sheriff’s Office, Maverick County Sheriff’s Office and the Zavala County Sheriff’s Office.
“This OCDETF criminal investigation worked by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and DEA dealt a major blow to a south Texas criminal organization that is made up several criminal networks,” said Special Agent in Charge Janice Ayala, HSI San Antonio.
“The Zavala County Sheriff’s Office is committed to working with our federal and state law enforcement partners to identify and remove drug trafficking from our communities,” said Zavala County Sheriff Eusevio Salinas. “Investigations of this scale provide a positive impact on our citizens and make our communities safer. I would like to thank the DEA Eagle Pass Office and HSI for their commitment to the citizens of Zavala County and our State.”
An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
ARRESTED THURSDAY, OCTOBER, 16, 2014 (24)
