California Man Sentenced for Cocaine Trafficking in Texas

A 37-year-old resident of Sacramento, California, has been sentenced to 11.25 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to import narcotics through the Rio Grande Valley for further distribution into the United States.

Shaun Michael Simmons pleaded guilty Oct. 11, 2023, and was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. The court heard evidence that Simmons had an aggravating role by acting in a leadership capacity over other members of the organization.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane noted Simmons’ criminal history in handing down the sentence. Simmons coordinated and provided instructions for the pickup and drop off of the narcotics transport trailers and provided co-conspirators with money to make the trips to Mexico and back to the United States.

According to court documents, another co-conspirator, Ericka Iesha Thomas, recruited Dustin Oliver in Austin to import a controlled substance. Simmons had recruited Thomas to find an individual to transport narcotics from Mexico into the United States.

On June 14, 2022, Dustin Oliver entered the United States from Mexico in a vehicle with an attached trailer through the Anzalduas Port of Entry in Mission. Upon initial inspection, law enforcement conducted an X-ray scan, observed anomalies in the trailer floor and referred Oliver to secondary inspection.

Through a physical search, law enforcement discovered 20 packages of narcotics concealed within aftermarket compartments located in the trailer floor. The packages weighed approximately 22 kilograms and tested positive for cocaine. Both Oliver, 35, Indiana, and Thomas, 30, California, were previously sentenced to 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release for their respective roles in the conspiracy.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell prosecuted the case.

Simmons will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

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