Federal Jury Convicts Drug Trafficking Organization Leader in Heroin Distribution Conspiracy

Defendant Also Leader of Motorcycle Gang Support Club

FORT WORTH, TX—Following 35 minutes of deliberation and a two-day trial before U.S. District Terry R. Means, a federal jury convicted John Pena Medellin, of Fort Worth, Texas, on an indictment charging one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute heroin, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Medellin, aka “Papa John” and “Uncle John,” has been in custody since his arrest in September 2011. He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is set for March 11, 2013.

According to evidence presented at trial, Medellin is the founder and current president of Los Homeboys, a Bandito motorcycle support club. He was responsible for the distribution of large amounts of heroin throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Through the use of various confidential sources, law enforcement was able to make numerous purchases of heroin from several individuals inside Medellin’s organization. On September 27, 2011, a multi-agency takedown of members and affiliates of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club and the Medellin drug trafficking organization was conducted that resulted in 30 arrests, including Medellin, as well as the seizure of significant quantities of heroin and assets.

In June 2012, a federal jury convicted one of Medellin’s distributors, Dorothy Frazier Wiseman, 57, of River Oaks, Texas, of the same offense. With Medellin’s conviction this week, all the defendants that were arrested during the takedown have been convicted.

This Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force case was investigated by the DEA and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn Smith and Joshua T. Burgess are in charge of the prosecution.