In a massive crackdown on drug trafficking in East Texas, federal prosecutors have charged sixteen individuals with a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy, according to an announcement by Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr., and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The indictment, issued on April 2, included federal drug and gun violations and was followed by a multi-agency arrest operation on April 16, which resulted from a months-long investigation that began in November 2022.
The federal grand jury’s indictment, unsealed in April in the Eastern District of Texas, resulted in the arrest of individuals from several East Texas counties, with law enforcement seizing over 10 kilograms of methamphetamine and 14 firearms during the investigation, bringing a semblance of justice to communities devastated by the ravages of methamphetamine use. Among those arrested is Eduardo Barajas-Macias, whose charge of unlawful reentry by a removed or deported alien highlights the broader implications of such networks on immigration and border policy issues, which are central to Operation Take Back America’s mission, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
Individuals accused in the plot are from Angelina, Nacogdoches, and Polk counties, and their charges range from conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a narcotics trafficking felony. If convicted on these significant charges, the defendants face severe penalties ranging from 10 years to life in federal prison. According to the United States Attorney’s Office, they appeared in federal court for the first time on April 16 in Beaumont.
The operation, part of Operation Take Back America, aimed at combating illegal immigration and dismantling cartels, engaged both local and federal officials, including the Angelina County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals. Donald S. Carter, an assistant US attorney, is prosecuting the case. While the allegations are against a meth trafficking ring, the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Task forces involved in this case and the larger initiative include the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the FBI; the United States Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Texas Department of Public Safety, among others, demonstrating an unprecedented united front in the constant battle against the plague of drug trafficking that seeps across county lines, corrodes communities, and perpetuates a cycle of crime and ruin, as reported by the
