News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2004

Participants in Major
Cocaine Distribution Ring Sentenced
Some Defendants Face Up to Life Imprisonment Without Parole

DEC 10-- United States Attorney Richard B. Roper announced today that all defendants who were charged and convicted in the large cocaine conspiracy case, U.S. v. Juan Pablo Elizondo, et al. have been sentenced. The last two defendants were sentenced today.

The North Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force investigated the drug trafficking activities of Juan Pablo Elizondo and other members of his organization which operated from Laredo, Texas, to Dallas, and into Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Ohio.

Elizondo, using a network of individuals to store, transport and distribute cocaine, supplied large amounts of cocaine to the Ellis County, Texas, area, and to the Ardmore, Oklahoma area. Beginning in July 2003, numerous arrests were made in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, as well as in Laredo, Texas, and Ardmore, Oklahoma. Since that time, 23 defendants have been convicted in the conspiracy and all have been sentenced to federal prison for terms ranging from two years to life imprisonment, without parole.

The organization distributed kilogram-quantities of cocaine in Texas, Ohio and Mississippi. In May 2004, five defendants were convicted in a trial in Dallas for their role in the conspiracy. Millions of dollars in U.S. currency, over one hundred kilograms of cocaine, and several weapons, including fully automatic assault weapons, were seized during this investigation and forfeited to the government.

United States Attorney Roper praised the exceptionally coordinated efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement, including the North Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office; the Dallas, Carrollton, Coppell, Irving, Lancaster, and Richardson Police Departments; the Ellis and Dallas County Sheriff’s Offices; the Texas Department of Public Safety; and the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation.

Mr. Roper said, “Strategic coordinated law enforcement efforts stopped this major cocaine trafficking operation dead in its tracks. Drug traffickers should be warned, with law enforcement efforts like this, they don’t stand a chance.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Guess, Jerri Sims, and Felicia Moncrief.