Jury convicts San Antonio east side gang member on drug and gun charges
Marcus Phillips, a 32-year-old member of the East Terrace Gangsters, faces federal prison time after a jury yesterday afternoon found him guilty of drug and firearms charges, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Will R. Glaspy, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney John Bash.
A federal jury in San Antonio convicted Phillips of one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 28 grams of “crack” cocaine, one count of felon in possession of a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The jury acquitted Phillips of possession with intent to distribute “powder” cocaine.
Evidence at trial revealed that in October 2017, Phillips was operating a stash-type house on the east side of San Antonio. The San Antonio Police Department obtained a search warrant and, upon execution, found nearly one-half kilogram of cocaine--100 grams of which had already been converted into “crack” cocaine; all the tools necessary to convert the powder cocaine into “crack” cocaine were located on the kitchen counter. SAPD also found two assault-style pistols each loaded with 30-round magazines and a bolt-action rifle inside the house along with $1,064 in U.S. currency.
This warrant occurred during a time of escalating gang violence on the east side of San Antonio.
Phillips, who remains in federal custody, faces a minimum mandatory ten years and up to life in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for 10:00am on October 24, 2019, before Chief U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio.
The San Antonio Police Department investigated this case with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
