Defendants Receive Lengthy Sentences in Major Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

Most of the 37 Defendants Were Members/Associates of the Texas Syndicate Prison Gang

January 21, 2010 - The last of 36 defendants convicted for operating a major drug trafficking conspiracy in the Fort Worth, Texas, area has been sentenced, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. U.S. District Judge Terry R. Means sentenced Eli Palacios, 43, of Fort Worth, to 30 years in federal prison following Palacios’s guilty plea in May 2009 to various offenses stemming from his role in the drug trafficking conspiracy.

Following a two-week trial in June 2009 before Judge Means, four co-defendants, including Texas Syndicate (TS) member and conspiracy-leader, Robert Losoya, a/k/a “Minnesota,” 44, of Fort Worth, were convicted for their roles in the conspiracy and have also been sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Losoya was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison; Hector Daniel Macias, 27, of Dallas, was sentenced to 22 years; Juan Antonio Ledesma, 38, of Laredo, Texas, was sentenced to nearly 12 years; and Julian Olguin, Jr., 27, of Dallas, was sentenced to 10 years.

The convictions stem from charges outlined in a 98-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Fort Worth in November 2008. Thirty-seven defendants were charged in the indictment; one defendant remains a fugitive. Many of the defendants named in the indictment are members or associates of the TS prison gang, a violent gang established during the 1970's as a response by native Texas inmates to other prison gangs. A dominant prison gang in Texas, TS members are bound by a strict set of rules which ensure loyalty and participation in the enterprise’s criminal activities. They are subject to strict and harsh discipline, including death, for violating rules which require that a member continue his participation in the organization, even after his release from prison. Membership is for life.

Beginning prior to January 1, 2007, and continuing until their arrests, the defendants conspired to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana. In January 2007, law enforcement began investigating the activities of a major North Texas cocaine distributor and TS member, Daniel Ramos, a/k/a “Danny Ramos.” As part of the investigation, investigators applied for and received court authorizations to execute a number of wire interceptions of Ramos’ cell phone which identified many of his associates. Ramos pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

As part of their conspiracy, the defendants purchased illegal narcotics from various suppliers and sold them to a network of customers for profit, using a portion of the sales proceeds to purchase additional quantities of illegal narcotics. From time to time, one or more of the defendants would arrange for the illegal narcotics to be imported from Mexico and further arrange for its transportation from the border to areas in North Texas. Periodically, one or more of the defendants would distribute the controlled substances to other conspirators, who were mid-level drug dealers, in North Texas and throughout the U.S. The defendants would collect proceeds from their sales to purchase additional illegal narcotics, assets and real property. The defendants guaranteed the quality of their illegal product and their organization was fluid in that as defendants were arrested, other members of the conspiracy would assume positions and responsibilities of arrested co-conspirators. Throughout the course of the conspiracy, the defendants and their co-conspirators used voice and text messages over their cell phones to discuss transaction details, often trying to disguise the subject matter of their drug-related telephone conversations by using code words.

Other defendants who received prison sentences of 10 years or longer include:

• Ruben Guajardo, 26, of Fort Worth -10 years

• Richard Rubio, a/k/a “Chino,” 27, of Fort Worth - 22 years

• Adrian Chevis, 33, of Grand Prairie - 10 years

• Jose Luis Veliz, 41, of Fort Worth - 13 years

• Andres Vasquez, Jr., a/k/a “Andy,” 44, of Arlington, Texas - 12 years

• Selwyn Macfield Martin, a/k/a “Red,” 44, of Arlington - 12 years

• Faustino G. Fernandez, 32, of Houston, Texas - 172 months (more than 14 years)

• David Ramos, 39, of Fort Worth - 121 months (more than 10 years)

• Jimmy Guidry, a/k/a “Güero,” 40, of Fort Worth - 20 years

• Deshun Joseph Johnson, 35, of Arlington - 27 years

• John Paul Figueroa, 27, of Fort Worth - 10 years

The investigation was conducted by the FBI, aided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCEDTF), North Texas HIDTA, and the Department of Justice Anti-Gang Initiative. The Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex was one of 10 target areas in the U.S. chosen to receive $2.5 million in grant funds for a comprehensive anti-gang initiative to devote extensive resources to defeating some of the most violent and pervasive gangs in the country.

Mr. Jacks praised the joint investigative efforts of the FBI, North Texas HIDTA, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service, the Fort Worth, Dallas, and Arlington Police Departments, the Texas Department of Public Safety, Tarrant County Metro Narcotics Task Force, Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Denton County Sheriff’s Office.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys J. Michael Worley and Bret Helmer.