Cartel-Linked Meth Trafficker Sentenced to Life in Prison Following Threats to Inmates, Agent

A major Dallas drug trafficker was sentenced yesterday to life in prison for trafficking methamphetamine out of his car dealership, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

In December 2021, after four days of trial, a federal jury convicted Marco Antonio Gonzalez, 45, of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr.

According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Gonzalez, an associate of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) who called himself “Speedy,” dealt methamphetamine out of Hampton Motors, a car dealership he owned. He and several coconspirators stored large quantities of narcotics at the dealership and used proceeds of drug sales to purchase vehicles in order to disguise the source of the funds.

The defendants used homes in Dallas and DeSoto to serve as laboratories for the recrystallization of methamphetamine, and often carried firearms on those premises. Agents testified at trial that members of the cartel trafficked thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine this way.

During trial, prosecutors discovered that Mr. Gonzalez threatened to kill one of his co-conspirators, who was slated to testify against him. The threatened man went on to testify anyway, saying that Mr. Gonzalez used his dealership as a front for large-scale drug deals.  In another instance, Mr. Gonzalez attacked another inmate who Mr. Gonzales believed would be testifying during his trial.  And during trial, Mr. Gonzalez passed a note to federal agents that was believed to represent a threat against the agents.   

During sentencing, these facts were discussed at length and Judge Starr stated that the life sentence for Gonzales was based, in part, on these egregious acts.

Ten of his co-conspirators entered guilty pleas prior to trial.

The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division and the Dallas Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Garland Police Department and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl and John Kull prosecuted the case.