United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

HEROIN DISTRIBUTION CONSPIRATORS SENTENCED

FORT WORTH, Texas — U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means sentenced three individuals yesterday who pled guilty last year to their role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of heroin in Fort Worth, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas.

Judge Means sentenced Robert Lee Johnson, 55, to 97 months in prison, Maria Marquez, 50, to 108 months in prison, and Darryl Ladkins, 42, to 42 months in prison. In October 2007, Johnson and Marquez pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin, while Ladkins pled guilty to maintaining a drug involved premises.

From at least August 2003 through May 2007, Robert Lee Johnson was engaged in the sale and distribution of heroin in the Fort Worth area. Maria Marquez, a resident of El Paso, Texas, was a courier who delivered the heroin to Johnson and payment back to the supplier in Mexico. She was also suspected of delivering heroin to customers in Chicago, Illinois. She would travel by car, bus, and commercial aircraft to deliver multiple ounces to multiple kilogram quantities of heroin. The conspiracy is believed to have imported and distributed at least seven kilograms of heroin.

On March 10, 2006, Marquez delivered a shipment of heroin to Johnson in the parking lot of a Payless shoe store on Cherry Lane in Fort Worth. She concealed the heroin in an empty car battery which she moved from her vehicle to Johnson’s vehicle.

On January 28, 2007, Johnson delivered approximately $40,000 to Marquez’s supplier and Marquez at a house in Fort Worth to pay for several shipments of heroin that Marquez had delivered to him.

In Spring 2007, Johnson rented a house on Meadowknoll in Fort Worth that belonged to Darryl Ladkins. Ladkins knew that Johnson sold heroin. For several months Johnson used that residence as a place to process black tar heroin into capsules for retail sale. The process involved cutting the heroin mixture to reduce its purity and increase its bulk and then putting the processed heroin into gelatin capsules. Even though Ladkins rented the house to Johnson, he kept some furniture there and occasionally slept there.

1 On May 19, 2007, federal law enforcement agents executed search warrants at both Ladkins’ residence and Johnson’s residence. At the Ladkins’ residence, agents seized 1105 grams of heroin (7% purity), drug paraphernalia used to process heroin (coffee grinders, digital scales, empty gelatin capsules, mannitol, mannite, a box cutter, plastic gloves, small paper sacks, plastic gloves, zip lock bags, and aluminum pans), and a vehicle belonging to Johnson. At the Johnson residence, agents seized a 2007 GMC Denali, two 2002 Cadillac Escalades, and $40,236 in U.S. currency.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative work of the North Texas Area High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fort Worth Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Fred Schattman and Jay Dewald.

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