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California Meth Kingpin Pleads Guilty
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A California man has confessed to orchestrating a cross-country drug pipeline that flooded Springfield with methamphetamine. Romulo Frank Delatorre, 36, of Downey, Calif., pleaded guilty today to his central role in a conspiracy to distribute large quantities of the deadly drug.
Delatorre admitted in federal court to shipping two- to two-and-a-half-pound packages of methamphetamine from California to Lisa Renae Thompson, 39, of Springfield, Mo., between June 1 and Sept. 11, 2015. Thompson, in turn, acted as a local distribution hub, picking up the packages at various Springfield hotels and passing them on to Michael E. Ford, 37, also of Springfield. Ford then pushed the drugs out onto the streets.
The operation wasn’t just about moving weight; it was a calculated financial scheme. Ford would pay Thompson $10,800 after a few days, of which she kept $800 and wired $10,000 back to Delatorre in California. Thompson confessed to receiving approximately 24 pounds of methamphetamine, a substantial amount she both handed off to Ford and sold herself, with the help of co-conspirator John R. Waits, 46, of Springfield.
Waits, who participated in the conspiracy for six weeks, is responsible for distributing an additional 12 pounds of methamphetamine, including sales to an undercover agent in June and July 2015. The scheme began to unravel on Sept. 11, 2015, with Thompson’s arrest. But Delatorre didn’t stop. He continued shipping methamphetamine directly to Ford. On Sept. 30, 2015, a suspicious package—containing 2.2 pounds of methamphetamine—alerted a FedEx employee, leading to Ford’s arrest at a Springfield residence. A Ruger .22-caliber handgun was also recovered at the scene.
Thompson has already been sentenced to 11 years and three months in federal prison without parole. Waits and Ford, who also face charges for possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, are awaiting sentencing. Delatorre now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison without parole, potentially extending to life. The final sentence will be determined by the court following a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Abram McGull II is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Springfield, Mo., Police Department. This case underscores the relentless flow of drugs across state lines and the dedication of law enforcement to dismantling these criminal networks.
RELATED: Owen Hanson Pleads Guilty to Leading ODOG Drug and Gambling Ring
Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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