SAN ANTONIO, TX – Karen Mgerian age 41 admitted to conspiring to launder millions of dollars of purported drug proceeds through a scheme that included the sale of luxury cars, announced Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Steven S. Whipple, Houston Division, U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and Internal...

TAMPA, Fla. - Tom Wynne pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit tax evasion, one count of tax evasion, and seven counts of money laundering. He faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison for each of the tax-related counts and up to 10 years in...

TAMPA, Fla. - Mario D. Heatly (39, St. Petersburg) was sentenced to nine years and four months in federal prison for possessing 500 grams or more of cocaine with the intent to distribute it. Heatly had pleaded guilty on September 26, 2019. According to court documents, law enforcement officers executed...

TAMPA, Fla. - A federal jury has found Emiro Hinestroza-Newbbooll (48, Colombia) guilty of one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine while onboard a vessel subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and one count of...

TAMPA, Fla. - Shamon D. Heatly (37, St. Petersburg) was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in federal prison for selling cocaine. Heatly had pleaded guilty on October 28, 2019. According to court documents, an undercover law enforcement officer met with Heatly, at which time Heatly directed the officer...

BEAUMONT, Texas – On Jan. 27, 2020, Houston High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Executive Director Mike McDaniel and DEA Houston Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven S. Whipple are pleased to announce the establishment of a new HIDTA initiative in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas. The mission of the DEA-led...

WACO, Texas – On Jan. 24, 2020, a federal jury convicted 27–year-old Francisco Resendez Martinez of Gonzales, California, for attempting to deliver approximately 21 pounds of methamphetamine from California to Waco, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and DEA Houston Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Steven S. Whipple. Jurors...

TAMPA, Fla. – A federal grand jury today returned an indictment charging Damian Sierra, 41, of Port St. Lucie, with possessing 500 grams or more of cocaine with the intent to distribute. If convicted, Sierra faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison...

TAMPA, Fla. – Manuel Alfonso Munoz, 48, of Tampa, was sentenced to nine years and three months in federal prison for selling cocaine. Munoz pleaded guilty on Feb. 27, 2019. According to court documents, Munoz sold cocaine to a confidential informant on six occasions. The total amount of cocaine sold...

TAMPA, Fla. - Jimmy Riascos-Riascos, 44, Colombia, South America, was sentenced to 24 years and 4 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine on board vessels subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Riascos-Riascos had pleaded guilty on July 18, 2019. According to court records, Riascos-Riascos was...