TYLER, TX – Another piece of the East Texas drug pipeline is slammed shut. Darrell Lynell Horace, Jr., 29, of Angelina County, received a 63-month federal prison sentence Thursday for his role in a methamphetamine distribution network that stretched from California to the piney woods of Cherokee County. U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle handed down the sentence, bringing an end to the prosecution of six individuals involved in the operation.
Horace pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, admitting to both dealing the drug and possessing a firearm alongside the illicit substance. Federal investigators detailed how Horace was part of a larger network, accepting shipments of methamphetamine funneled in from California. The operation wasn’t just a local affair; it involved a cross-country supply chain designed to flood East Texas with the deadly drug.
The mastermind behind the California connection, Pablo Antonio Sandoval, 24, of Bakersfield, California, already faces a lengthy stay in federal prison. Sandoval was sentenced to 170 months on April 18, 2023, for transporting “large quantities” of methamphetamine across state lines. Once the drugs arrived in Jacksonville, Texas, Hunter Chase Davlin, 27, of Jacksonville, allegedly took over, repackaging and distributing the methamphetamine. Davlin received the harshest sentence of the group, 108 months, on February 22, 2023.
Assisting Davlin were Sissy Gail Parks, 39, of Bullard, and Joshua Ryan Starkey, 30, of Jacksonville. Parks was sentenced to 70 months on December 14, 2022, while Starkey received 130 months on November 4, 2022. The combined sentences handed down to the group represent a significant blow to methamphetamine distribution in the Eastern District of Texas. The investigation, led by Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), alongside the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and the Jacksonville Police Department, highlights the coordinated efforts needed to dismantle these criminal enterprises.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek prosecuted the case, presenting evidence detailing the scope of the drug operation and the roles each defendant played. The ATF’s Dallas Field Division played a key role in the investigation. While the sentencing of Horace marks the conclusion of this particular case, authorities confirm they remain vigilant in combating the ongoing threat of drug trafficking in East Texas. This operation serves as a stark warning: those who profit from poisoning communities will face the full force of federal law.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas, led by U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs, continues to prioritize cases involving illegal drug distribution and related crimes, aiming to disrupt these networks and protect the citizens of East Texas. Further details can be found on the Department of Justice website: www.justice.gov/usao-edtx.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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