Eight Killeen Residents Arrested in Connection with Cocaine Distribution Operation
| U.S. Attorney’s Office May 17, 2013 |
Federal, state, and local authorities have arrested eight individuals in connection with a cocaine distribution operation based in Killeen, Texas, announced United States Attorney Robert Pitman, Federal Bureau of Investigation San Antonio Division Special Agent in Charge Armando Fernandez, and Killeen Police Chief Dennis M. Baldwin.
A two-count federal grand jury indictment, returned on Tuesday and unsealed today, charges 31–year-old Cornelius Tywarren Wilson, 29-year-old Christopher Andrew Wilson, 38-year-old Jamel Azar Singleton, and 30–year-old Jason Eugene Jackson with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute crack cocaine. Bryant Keith Presley, age 28, and Katrie Deshone Simpson, age 30, are also charged in the crack cocaine conspiracy count, while 38–year-old Michael Anthony Mango is also charged in the cocaine conspiracy count. The indictment alleges that the defendants have been involved in the cocaine distribution operation since October 2012.
Authorities arrested the indicted defendants yesterday without incident. An eighth individual who was arrested yesterday, 26-year-old Walter Chambers, is charged by criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. According to the affidavit, Chamber’s arrest occurred subsequent to the execution of a search warrant in an apartment in Killeen. During the search, authorities recovered cocaine, crack cocaine, and a handgun.
Each charge calls for between five and 40 years in federal prison and a maximum $2 million fine upon conviction. The defendants remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday before United States Magistrate Judge Jeffrey C. Manske.
This case resulted from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation together with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Killeen Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Sean Condron is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.