(WBAP/KLIF) — The FBI announced, Friday, that a two year investigation into a drug syndicate resulted in the arrest of 15 criminals, many of which have extensive criminal histories.
Chad Yarbrough is the Special Agent in Charge of the FBIi’s Dallas Field Office and says over 200 law enforcement officers with the FBI, Dallas Police Department, and Dallas Sheriff’s Office made the bust, Thursday.
The defendants were charged in a 16-count indictment on a variety of gun and drug crimes, including possession with intent to distribute cocaine and felony possession of firearms. Yarbrough says officers seized cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, cash and multiple firearms.
Thursday’s bust increased the arrest total to 34 criminals during the 2 year investigation, some of which face up to 40 years in Federal Prison.
Listen to WBAP/KLIF report:
U.S. Attorney’s Office Press Release:
Fifteen Arrested in FBI Gun, Drug Bust Involving 200+ Agents
Fifteen people were arrested in a large-scale gun and drug bust Thursday, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton announced today.
During the operation – which involved more than 200 officers and agents from FBI Dallas, the Dallas Police Department, the Dallas Sheriff’s Office, and other local agencies – law enforcement seized more than 540 grams of cocaine, more than 1,100 grams of methamphetamine, more than 150 grams of alprazolam, and more than 7 grams of fentanyl, along with nine firearms and over $10,000 in cash.
The defendants were charged in a 16-count indictment with a variety of gun and drug crimes, including possession with intent to distribute cocaine and felon in possession of firearms. They began making their initial appearances in federal court Friday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Irma Carrillo Ramirez.
“Prosecuting these worst-of-the-worst offenders not only holds them accountable for past wrongs, but it also prevents them from committing future crimes. It makes our streets safer, and our communities sleep more soundly at night,” U.S. Attorney Leigha Simonton said at an FBI press conference Friday morning. “An operation like this takes commitment – commitment of time, commitment of resources, and above all, psychological commitment – knowingly risking one’s own personal safety to ensure the security of the community… This case was almost exactly two years in the making. After yesterday, we’re confident it was worth the effort.”
“It’s not our goal to just put individuals in jail for a few days, but to build cases that cut into the capabilities of these gangs and criminal enterprises, putting the most violent offenders and facilitators behind bars for as long as we possibly can,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Office Chad Yarbrough said at the press conference.”
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia said, “I want to thank the FBI Dallas Field Office, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, and the other state and local agencies for their partnerships in this two year-long investigation. It takes all of us to fight and prevent crime and criminal activity. Violent crime continues to trend downward in the city of Dallas and not by accident. It is because of the hard work of the men and women of our agencies, along with our community and city leaders that we see the needle trending down. We are committed to making our neighborhoods safer.”
Those charged include:
Alicia Slaughter: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Courtney Smith: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Edward Williams, aka “Lil ‘E:” conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Xavier Barnes: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Jordan Davis: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Ladarius Holly: convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Quentavis Zikeiy Hawkins, aka “Luddy:” conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Lucis Lugo: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Sebastian Medlock, aka “Blue:” convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Dmarcus Quartez Roderick Moton, aka “Little Cheese:” conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of an unregistered firearm (Glock switch)
Christopher Samuel: convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Perry Taylor: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession with intent to distribute cocaine
Anthony Joe Womack: convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Davonia Hart: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance
Brandon Bedford: conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, convicted felon in possession of a firearm
Many of the defendants arrested Friday had extensive criminal histories, including assault, aggravated robbery, arson, deadly conduct with a firearm, and manufacture and delivery of controlled substances. Many were allegedly armed, including one who allegedly carried a Glock switch, a dangerous device that converts a regular semi-automatic weapon into a machinegun capable of continuous fire with a single depression of the trigger.
An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
If convicted, some face as many as 40 years in federal prison.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Dallas Police Department, and the Dallas Sheriff’s Office conducted the operation with the assistance of the Irving Police Department, the Carrollton Police Department, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Office of Inspector General, which contributed officers to the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kull is prosecuting the case.
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