March 4, 2010

INDICTMENT CHARGES TEXAS MAN WITH POSSESSING 436,000 ECSTASY PILLS

WICHITA, KAN. – Edgar E. Juarez, 21, San Antonio, Texas, is charged with possession with intent to distribute approximately 436,000 pills of Ecstasy, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today. The crime is alleged to have occurred Dec. 4, 2009, in Ellis County, Kan.

Juarez initially was charged in Ellis County District Court after he was arrested by the Kansas Highway Patrol during a traffic stop on Interstate 70.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Sublet is prosecuting.

OTHER INDICTMENTS

A federal grand jury meeting in Wichita, Kan., also returned the following indictments:

Felipe Ruiz, 27, Norwich, Conn., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and one count of traveling in interstate commerce from New Mexico to Kansas in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 20, 2010, in Liberal, Kan.

Ruiz initially was charged in Seward County District Court . He was arrested after he allegedly landed at the airport in Liberal, Kan., with a load of cocaine in his plane.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life in federal prison on the possession charge and a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the interstate travel charge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Seward County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Liberal Police Department and the Seward County Attorney’s Office worked on the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.

Abuit Feiria-Barranco, 19, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully transporting undocumented aliens in the United States. According to the indictment, on Feb. 12, 2010, in Ford County, Kan., he was driving a Dodge pickup with 15 illegal aliens as passengers.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. The Kansas Highway Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Alejandro Orona-Favela, 38, a citizen of Mexico; Guillermo Orona-Favela, 25, a citizen of Mexico; Juan Ignacio Orona-Favela, 36, a citizen of Mexico; and Manuel de Jesus Chavez-Suarez, 32, a citizen of Mexico, are charged with one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and one count of possession with intent to distribute about 380 pounds of marijuana. The crime is alleged to have occurred from Feb. 1 to Feb. 24, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

In addition, Manuel de Jesus Chavez-Suarez is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported and Juan Ignacio Orona-Favela is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported.

Upon conviction, the alleged crimes carry the following penalties:
Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana: Not less than five years and not more than 40 years without parole and a fine up to $2 million.
Unlawful re-entry after an aggravated felony and deportation: A maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful re-entry after deportation: A maximum penalty of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Murel Dean Amador, 54, Hoisington, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred March 15, 2009, in Barton County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked on the case. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Sublet is prosecuting.

Leroy D. Naumann, 55, Clifton, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a user of controlled substances. The crimes are alleged to have occurred July 19, 2008, in Harvey County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $2 million. The North Newton Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Treaster is prosecuting.

David Barraza, 19, Chicago, Ill., and Rocio Barraza, 42, Chicago, Ill., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 22, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.

Malek Hakeem Saeed Brown, 35, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Feb. 9, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 5 years and not more than 40 years and a fine up to $2 million on the crack cocaine charge, and a maximum penalty of 20 years and a fine up to $1 million on the cocaine charge. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.

Jesus Israel Ayala, 24, Oklahoma City, Okla., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of interstate travel from Arizona to Wichita, Kan., in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred during Jan. 18 and Jan. 19, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years and not more than life and a fine up to $4 million on the possession charge and a maximum penalty of 5 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the interstate travel charge. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Blair Watson is prosecuting.

Juan Francisco Hernandez-Reyes, 40, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being convicted of a felony and deported. He was found Feb. 8, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Luis Miguel Sanchez-Rodriguez, 19, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with illegally entering the United States. He was found Feb. 1, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Crisoforo Luna-Santiago, 30, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found in Sedgwick County, Kan., Feb. 10, 2010.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Manuel Cortez-Garcia, 27, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Feb. 10, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a penalty of two years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

Jaime Hernandez-Magallon is charged with illegally re-entering the United States after being convicted of an aggravated felony and deported. He was found Feb. 10, 2010, in Sedgwick County, Kan.

If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison without parole and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs enforcement investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.

In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments filed merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.