Houston-area residents charged for narcotics and firearms trafficking in ongoing crime initiative

HOUSTON– A total of 20 people are now in custody in the newest charges brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Houston Violent Crime Initiative.

A federal grand jury returned six separate, but related indictments at varying times between July 31-Aug. 22. Of the 17 arrested this week, all have made initial appearances with detention hearings set for Sept. 3 and 4 before U.S. Magistrate Judges Christina Bryan and Yvonne Ho, respectively. The remaining three had previously been in custody on related charges and are expected to make initial appearances before a U.S. magistrate judge in the near future.

The charges allegedly encompass over 30 firearms, meth and more than 15 kilograms of cocaine, collectively. In connection with this week’s arrests, law enforcement executed search warrants that resulted in the seizure of 10 firearms, $26,000 in cash as well as cocaine and crack cocaine.

A total of 15 are charged in two of the indictments with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances as well as multiple substantive counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Some are also charged with illegal possession of firearms and/or criminal possession of a machine gun - a firearm altered with a machine gun conversion device aka switch to fire automatically with one pull of the trigger. One faces a charge of maintaining drug premises.

These indictments are the latest of 23 charging 77 people as a result of the Criminal Division’s Houston Violent Crime Initiative, first announced in September 2022.

This joint effort includes the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local, state and federal law enforcement addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members in the southwest and southeast areas of Houston. As part of the initiative, the Criminal Division has dedicated attorneys and other resources to prosecuting violent offenders and assisting intervention, prevention and reentry efforts to address the root causes of violent crime, such as narcotics trafficking. The Office of Justice Programs provides some of the funding for this effort.

If convicted in the drug conspiracies, 15 face up to life in prison as well as varying terms for the substantive counts up to life. Being a felon in possession of a firearm carries a possible 15-year-term of imprisonment, while possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime could result in a consecutive term of at least five years and up to life in prison.

The FBI, Houston Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation with assistance from Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Office of Inspector General; police departments in Sugar Land, Missouri City, Pasadena and Pearland; Texas Anti-Gang Center; Texas Highway Patrol; Virginia State Police and departments in Newport News (Virginia), Cincinnati (Ohio) and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport; Sheriff’s Offices in Brazoria, Walker, Madison, Harris, Ft. Bend and Boyd (Kentucky) Counties; District Attorney’s Offices in Harris and Ft. Bend counties; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Anh-Khoa Tran of the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorneys Amy L. Schwartz, George Meggali and Shriram Harid of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. SDTX AUSA John Ganz and Trial Attorney Adam Tisdall of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section also provided assistance.

An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.