Saul Vega Flores, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, Tennessee 2017
**Methamphetamine Ring Busted in West Tennessee**
A federal court in Jackson, Tennessee, has handed down a significant sentence in a major methamphetamine conspiracy case. Saul Vega Flores, a 51-year-old Mexican national, has been sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed hundreds of pounds of actual methamphetamine in the region.
According to the court records, in March 2017, DEA agents in the Nashville, TN office began an investigation into Rolando Lopez and his drug trafficking organization. Agents discovered that Lopez and his co-conspirators were trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and other illegal substances from Texas to Tennessee.
Investigators utilized several Title III wiretaps, physical surveillance, confidential sources, traffic stops, and search warrants to crack down on the organization. They found that Saul Flores was part of this conspiracy and had traveled from Mexico to Tennessee to convert methamphetamine into crystal form for distribution.
On November 13, 2017, Lopez and Flores met with Kenneth Garrett at Ronald Parham's residence in Martin, Tennessee, where Flores cooked methamphetamine. On December 1, 2017, DEA agents discovered that Lopez was arranging a shipment of a significant amount of methamphetamine from Mexico to Tennessee, which was to be delivered to Parham's residence.
On December 3, 2017, DEA agents set up surveillance at Parham's residence and tracked the suspects from Mexico to West Memphis, Arkansas, and eventually to Martin, Tennessee. A traffic stop was conducted on December 5, 2017, which led to the discovery of a large quantity of methamphetamine in a hidden compartment in the tires of a vehicle being driven by Virginia Torres.
The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge S. Thomas Anderson on April 2, 2021. Flores will serve 100 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. The co-defendants in this case received the following sentences: Kenneth Garrett was sentenced to 200 months; Ronald Parham was sentenced 120 months; Virginia Torres was sentenced to 60 months; and Rolando Lopez was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case was investigated by the DEA and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Morrow and Jerry Kitchen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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