Lubbock Crips Gang Members Plead Guilty in Cocaine Conspiracy

Lubbock, Texas — Four defendants tied to the Crips criminal street gang have pleaded guilty to their roles in a sprawling cocaine distribution conspiracy that flooded neighborhoods with hundreds of grams of crack and powder cocaine. Dequan Deshawn Willard, 22, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Gordon Bryant today, admitting to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine base and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, according to U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Willard faces a statutory penalty of not less than five years or more than 40 years in federal prison and a $4 million fine for the conspiracy charge, and no less than five years and up to life in prison plus a $250,000 fine for the firearm charge. The charges stem from a June 16, 2016 raid at a residence on East 1st Place Street, where law enforcement recovered approximately 40 grams of cocaine base after a controlled purchase from Willard days earlier. Willard was present during the search.

Yesterday, three co-defendants — William Emmanuel Spence, 27, Jasmine Jamal Spence, 28, and Antonio Deon Ray Montgomery, 21 — all brothers, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine and cocaine base. Each faces not less than five years or more than 40 years in federal prison and a $4 million fine. Judge Bryant has ordered presentence reports for all defendants, with sentencing dates to follow.

The investigation, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, uncovered a network of stash houses and cash-laden hideouts. On October 4, 2016, search warrants were executed at four Lubbock residences. At a home on East Cornell, Antonio Montgomery was arrested and led officers to approximately 110 grams of cocaine base. The residence belonged to William Spence, and officers found drug production materials and a loaded firearm inside.

At a 40th Street residence, William Spence was found with $1,379 on his person and $15,020 in a shoebox in the garage. Officers also located a case matching a firearm recovered at the East Cornell address. A separate Knoxville Street residence tied to Willard and William Spence yielded a loaded firearm in Willard’s bed. In a shoebox labeled “Tucc” — Willard’s street name — officers found 427 grams of cocaine. An additional 427 grams were found in a bag, $8,900 in William Spence’s bedroom, and 84 grams in a red pickup truck tied to Willard. A Chevrolet Impala on the property held another 997 grams of cocaine and documents and photos linking William and Jasmine Spence to the operation.

Jasmine Spence was arrested at a residence on 69th Street, where officers seized approximately 40 grams of cocaine base from a kitchen drawer and eight more grams from a sock in her bedroom. Also found: $7,410 in cash and a loaded handgun. Authorities say the defendants are either confirmed or suspected members of the Crips, and the operation exemplifies the violent, profit-driven machinery of gang-run drug trafficking in West Texas.