Noe Juarez, Cocaine Trafficking, Louisiana 2015

Grimy Times has learned that a Houston Police Officer is among two individuals charged with conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine hydrochloride in Louisiana, 2015. Noe Juarez, 46, faces an additional charge of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

According to records, the Superseding Indictment was returned on April 2, 2015, but remained sealed until recently. Both defendants are currently in custody.

The charges carry severe penalties for the defendants. If convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, each defendant faces a sentence of ten years to life imprisonment, followed by a minimum of five years of supervised release, and a $10,000,000 fine. Additionally, Noe Juarez faces a separate charge of conspiracy to possess a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, which could result in a maximum of twenty years imprisonment, followed by a maximum of three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite emphasized that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendants must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Assistant United States Attorney John F. Murphy is leading the prosecution in this case. Grimy Times has reached out to the Houston Police Department for comment, but they have declined to provide a statement.

This case is a result of an ongoing investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration offices in New Orleans and Houston, the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Houston, and the Houston Police Department Internal Affairs Division. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas provided assistance in the matter.

Grimy Times will continue to follow this story and provide updates as more information becomes available.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/indictment-returned-against-houston-police-officer-and-mexican-citizen