Active-duty Army and Former Marine Reserve Indicted and Arrested for Drug Conspiracy

TULSA, Okla. – A California man who is on active duty with the Army and a former Marine Reserve was arrested at Fort Carson in Colorado. David Julian Mendoza Gonzalez, 26, had an initial appearance before a federal judge in the District of Colorado. He is charged in the Northern District of Oklahoma for Drug Conspiracy and Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises.

“The Northern District of Oklahoma is committed to disrupting and reducing the flow of deadly narcotics into our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.  

“The arrest of Mr. Mendoza Gonzalez demonstrates the continued resolve of DEA Oklahoma to investigate organizations to the fullest extent possible,” said DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge Ivan Carrera.  “Local street dealers, dispatchers, transporters, bulk suppliers, and anyone in between should know DEA Oklahoma is committed to holding everyone in this organization, and others like it, accountable for selling drugs to our communities.”

According to the Indictment, from August 2021 through June 2024, Gonzalez knowingly and intentionally conspired
with others to distribute heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. He was additionally charged with maintaining residences in Tulsa for drug distribution.

If convicted, Gonzalez faces up to life imprisonment, up to $10,000,000 in fines, and up to five years of supervised release.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tulsa Police Department, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and Homeland Security Investigations are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy M. Mackenzie is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.