A federal jury in the Middle District of Louisiana has convicted two members of a drug trafficking network operating in the Baton Rouge area.
Oscar Machado-Galeana, age 31, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, allegedly tied to the Sinaloan Cartel in Mexico, was convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering, and firearm violation.
The jury returned guilty verdicts on October 4, 2018, after a 9-day trial. Machado-Galeana was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana; conspiracy to launder monetary instruments; distribution of methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Machado-Galeana obtained pounds of methamphetamine as well as a quantity of heroin from a source operating in Lafayette, Louisiana, as well as pounds of marijuana from a source in northern California. He distributed methamphetamine, heroin, and marijuana to various dealers in the Baton Rouge and Laplace, Louisiana areas.
Machado-Galeana used a nominee to purchase cashier’s checks and forward those to his marijuana supplier in California. In some instances, Nava and Machado-Galeana carried firearms with them when delivering methamphetamine to dealers and picking up the payments for those controlled substances.
On March 18, 2015, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a storage unit at 13822 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA, near the premises where his co-defendant, Roy Martin Herrera-Romero, resided. They seized approximately 18 pounds of high-grade methamphetamine.
The evidence at trial demonstrated that Machado-Galeana faces a sentence of not less than fifteen years and up to life imprisonment. Herrera-Romero faces a penalty of up to five years imprisonment.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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