Zapata Area Residents Charged with Trafficking Marijuana, Methamphetamines, and Crack Cocaine and Laundering Drug Proceeds
Twelve Arrested in Zapata County During Early Morning Enforcement Action

LAREDO, TX—A total of 12 Zapata area residents were arrested today as a result of the return of a sealed indictment by a Laredo grand jury for allegedly conspiring to traffic marijuana, methamphetamine and crack cocaine and conspiring to smuggle cash into Mexico, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

The 11-count indictment, which also includes a notice of intent to forfeit from all of the defendants approximately $18 million as proceeds of the alleged illegal trafficking activity, was returned under seal by a Laredo grand jury on June 7, 2011, and has been unsealed as to those arrested today. The indictment will remain sealed as to others not yet in custody.

The indictment accuses all those presently in custody of conspiring together for the last five years beginning in June 2006, to possess with intent to distribute a variety of controlled substances and conspiring to transport U.S. currency from the United States to Mexico with the intent to promote drug trafficking. Some of the defendants are also charged in substantive charges alleging possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances ranging from 100 to 1000 kilograms of marijuana, 50 grams of methamphetamine and five grams of crack cocaine on dates within the alleged conspiracy with the most recent date alleged as April 4, 2011.

The indictment is the result of a three-plus-year multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation dubbed Operation Los Lobos involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Border Patrol, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Marshals Service, Texas Department of Public Safety, Zapata County Sheriff’s Department, Webb County Sheriff’s Department, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department, Jim Hogg County Sheriff’s Department, La Joya (Texas) Police Department and El Campo (Texas) Police Department. The arrests were made today by teams comprised of special agents and officers of the investigative agencies in the Zapata County area.

The defendants arrested today and presently in federal custody are:

LAREDO, Texas)—A total of 12 Zapata area residents were arrested today as a result of the return of a sealed indictment by a Laredo grand jury for allegedly conspiring to traffic marijuana, methamphetamine and crack cocaine and conspiring to smuggle cash into Mexico, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced today.

The 11-count indictment, which also includes a notice of intent to forfeit from all of the defendants approximately $18 million as proceeds of the alleged illegal trafficking activity, was returned under seal by a Laredo grand jury on June 7, 2011, and has been unsealed as to those arrested today. The indictment will remain sealed as to others not yet in custody.

The indictment accuses all those presently in custody of conspiring together for the last five years beginning in June 2006, to possess with intent to distribute a variety of controlled substances and conspiring to transport U.S. currency from the United States to Mexico with the intent to promote drug trafficking. Some of the defendants are also charged in substantive charges alleging possession with intent to distribute various controlled substances ranging from 100 to 1000 kilograms of marijuana, 50 grams of methamphetamine and five grams of crack cocaine on dates within the alleged conspiracy with the most recent date alleged as April 4, 2011.

The indictment is the result of a three-plus-year multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation dubbed Operation Los Lobos involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Border Patrol, United States Customs and Border Protection, United States Marshal’s Service, Texas Department of Public Safety, Zapata County Sheriff’s Department, Webb County Sheriff’s Department, Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Department, Jim Hogg County Sheriff’s Department, La Joya (Texas) Police Department and El Campo (Texas) Police Department. The arrests were made today by teams comprised of special agents and officers of the investigative agencies in the Zapata County area.