Galveston’s underbelly cracked open as eight suspects were indicted in a massive federal drug trafficking conspiracy involving kilos of cocaine and methamphetamine. The operation, allegedly running from July 1, 2015, to February 22, 2016, moved staggering quantities of narcotics through the Texas Gulf Coast hub, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Those charged include Agusto Lazo-Aguirre, 39, Marco Antonio Duran-Millan, 29, Rafael Ortuno Carreno, 36, and Gabriel Santiago-Ochoa, 30, all of Houston; Tony Perez, 23, of Dickinson; and Carlos Chayane Morales, 26, Francisco Solano-Huerta, 58, and Juana Guadalupe Joya, 47, all of Galveston. All are scheduled for a detention hearing at 1:00 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Froeschner in Galveston.
Law enforcement moved fast late last week, arresting Perez, Solano, Joya, and Duran during a coordinated enforcement sweep. The remaining four—Lazo-Aguirre, Carreno, Morales, and Ochoa—were already in federal custody on unrelated or prior charges tied to the investigation. The eight-count indictment unites them in a single, sprawling conspiracy.
The charges allege the group conspired to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, 500 grams of a meth mixture, and at least five kilograms of cocaine. Morales faces three additional counts of possession with intent to distribute meth, while Lazo-Aguirre, Perez, and Ochoa each face one such substantive count.
Carreno, Lazo-Aguirre, and Duran-Millan are also charged as illegal aliens in unlawful possession of firearms—a violation that carries up to 10 years in prison. If convicted on the main conspiracy charge, all eight face a minimum of 10 years and up to life behind bars, plus a potential $10 million fine. The same penalties apply to the substantive drug counts.
The investigation was a joint blitz by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, FBI, Galveston Police Department, and Galveston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Cusick is leading prosecution. An indictment is not evidence of guilt—each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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- Drug Kingpin Gets 19 Years: Mexican Cartel Link Exposed · North Carolina
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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