United States Attorney Richard B. Roper
Northern District of Texas

TARRANT COUNTY, TEXAS, MAN SENTENCED TO 64 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON ON DRUG AND FIREARM CONVICTIONS

FORT WORTH, Texas — Juan Andre Valenzuela-Contreras, of North Richland Hills, Texas, was sentenced on Friday to 774 months (64 years) in federal prison by U.S. District Judge John McBryde following his conviction at trial in March on drug and firearm charges, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas.

U.S. Attorney Roper said, “I wholeheartedly applaud Judge McBryde’s tough sentence. Let there be no doubt - armed drug traffickers should take heed - federal judges and prosecutors mean business.”

Specifically, the jury convicted Valenzuela-Contreras, 35, on two counts of possession of a controlled substance (heroin and cocaine) with intent to distribute and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of those drug dealing crimes.

At the time of his indictment, Valenzuela-Contreras was incarcerated in the Dallas County jail, charged with the March 20, 2006, murder of Vernon Harris in Dallas, in an attempt to collect a drug debt. He was later convicted of that murder and is currently serving a life sentence on that conviction. Judge McBryde ordered that Valenzuela-Contreras serve his federal sentence concurrent with his state-court sentence.

The government presented evidence at trial that when officers executed the murder arrest warrant, they found drugs and firearms in the defendant’s residence in North Richland Hills. Specifically, officers found more than 650 grams of a mixture and substance containing heroin, more than 400 grams of a mixture and substance containing cocaine, and nine firearms. The firearms included a number of assault-type rifles, which were located throughout the house. Officers testified that those firearms appeared to have been placed around the house to allow Valenzuela-Contreras to protect the drugs inside the house. Officers also located the Beretta 9 mm semiautomatic handgun that was used by the defendant to murder Vernon Harris.

U.S. Attorney Roper praised the investigative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the North Richland Hills Police Department, and the Dallas Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Michael Worley and Robert A. Klinck prosecuted the case.

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