2 weeks Ago By Tara Aguilar
In a significant blow to drug trafficking networks operating across the US-Mexico border, a federal jury has convicted five individuals for their direct involvement in a heavyweight drug smuggling syndicate that funneled copious amounts of liquid methamphetamine into Oklahoma City, evinced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Juan Hernandez of Oklahoma City, along with Texas residents Denis Leal Gutierrez, Cesar Azamar, and Adrian Narvaez, all faced charges in relation to the drug conspiracy, while Jessica Muniz also from Oklahoma City, was implicated in multiple counts of both domestic and international money laundering.As reported by the U.S.
Attorney’s Office, the smuggling operation employed a fleet of semi-trucks to clandestinely transport the narcotics, concealed within the fuel tanks, from Mexico through Texas, and eventually to their destination in Oklahoma, the operation not only brought immense quantities of drugs into the United States but laundered the proceeds as well, contributing to a cycle of crime fed by addiction and illicit cash flows. On April 18, the group was found guilty on all counts following a nine-day trial where extensive evidence showcased the intricate network and alarming scale of their activities, including Hernandez being a key figure in the money laundering plot, overseen by a high-ranking Mexican DTO member who happened to be a relative."Coordinating their drug trafficking scheme across international borders and state lines, these defendants flooded our state with methamphetamine worth millions of dollars," U.
S. Attorney Robert J. Troester told the press in a statement that underlined the concerted efforts of federal and state law enforcement in dismantling the criminal enterprise.
The intricate investigation spanned multiple years and included notable seizures of methamphetamine throughout its course with quantities ranging from 42 to 907 kilograms in single busts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
These convictions form a chapter of an extensive crackdown named Operation Take Back America which lines up the Department of Justice’s resources against illegal immigration, cartels, and transnational criminal organizations — the task force has attributed to this DTO the importation of approximately 16,000 kilograms of methamphetamine, valued around the $64 million mark which is a staggering testament to the depth of their illicit reach, according to details released post-conviction. Furthermore, the convicted individuals are staring down significant prison sentences, with Gutierrez, Azamar, and Narvaez potentially facing life sentences and Hernandez and Muniz each looking at up to 20 years for their money laundering roles, as stated by the U.S.
Attorney’s Office.This case is the result of a team effort by the FBI, DEA, IRS, and Oklahoma City Police to fight drug trafficking and cut off its funding. Two people have already been sentenced, and 11 more have pleaded guilty, showing how successful the investigation has been.
Sentencing for the others is still to come, marking the end of an important chapter in Oklahoma’s fight against drug crime, as per the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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