United States Drug Enforcement Administration

LUBBOCK, Texas - Following a four-day trial before Senior U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings, a federal jury convicted Frederick Allen, 44, of Baytown, Texas, for his role in a drug conspiracy that operated throughout West Texas. Special Agent in Charge Clyde E. Shelley, Jr. of the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox of the Northern District of Texas made today’s announcement.

On March 19, 2018, a jury convicted Allen on one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Allen was remanded to custody following the verdict.

The penalties for the offenses is up to thirty years in federal prison and a $2,000,000 fine. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

The government presented evidence at trial that Allen would supply large quantities of cocaine to mid-level dealers, who in turn, would supply street dealers in Abilene, San Angelo, and the surrounding areas. Law enforcement relied on undercover federal agents to infiltrate Allen’s drug trafficking operation. On Sunday, October 22, 2017, federal agents conducted an undercover operation in Baytown, Texas. Frederick Allen and Jesse James Scott drove to the San Jacinto Mall and met with a person they believed to be a high-level drug dealer. In reality, the person they were meeting was an undercover federal agent. After Allen and Scott arrived at the mall in Baytown, the undercover agent purchased a ¼ kilogram of cocaine and approximately 3,000 methamphetamine tablets. The cocaine and methamphetamine tablets had a street value of at least $25,000.

Agents subsequently searched Allen’s residence and found approximately $7,000 in United States currency in various denominations. At trial, Allen told the jury that the money found in his apartment was from an old vehicle that he sold to his mother for $6,000. Allen later admitted that his sister had given him the vehicle for free and that the vehicle was only worth approximately $4,000. Allen also testified that he was not in Baytown during critical times in the conspiracy. However, after confronted with GPS data, phone records, and other evidence, Allen recanted his earlier testimony and admitted that he must have been in Baytown during the times alleged by the Government.

The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation and was assisted by the Baytown Police Department, the San Angelo Police Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell Lorfing and Sean Long are prosecuting the case.