Fourteen Individuals Indicted in Marijuana Distribution Conspiracy
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 06, 2013 |
TAMPA—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces today the unsealing of a federal indictment charging 14 individuals with conspiring to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. Law enforcement teams in Florida, Texas, Arkansas, and Mississippi made the arrests earlier today in this joint law enforcement investigation, dubbed Operation Wooly Swamp. If convicted, each individual faces a maximum penalty of 10 years, up to life in federal prison.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of the federal criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force 2), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, and the Clearwater Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James C. Preston, Jr.
| Operation Wooly Swamp |
||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Age | Residence |
|
Gaudencio Garcia, a/k/a Pelon, a/k/a Hugo, a/k/a Jose |
26 | Wimauma, Florida |
|
Armando Martinez-Hernandez a/k/a Choco, a/k/a Mando, a/k/a Juan |
45 | Weslaco, Texas |
| Luis Alberto Garcia, a/k/a Louie, a/k/a Chuey | 32 | Weslaco, Texas |
| Herman Martinez | 23 | Wimauma, Florida |
| Ismael Martinez, a/k/a Jose | 24 | Wimauma, Florida |
| Charles Daniel Law | 52 | Riverview, Florida |
| Anthony Edward Peters, a/k/a Tony | 36 | Clearwater, Florida |
| Joseph Fairweather, a/k/a Joey | 28 | Holiday, Florida |
| Christopher Hart, a/k/a Chris | 39 | New Port Richey, Florida |
| Paul Jason Pless | 37 | Gibsonton, Florida |
| Charles Francis Martin, III, a/k/a Chuck | 42 | Riverview, Florida |
| Cynthia Ford Rico, a/k/a Cindy | 56 | West Memphis, Arkansas |
| Pamela Ford Walker | 54 | Oxford, Mississippi |
| David Ray Hobbs | 63 | Memphis, Tennessee |