Fifteen Charged in Houston With Drug Conspiracy and Weapons Offenses in 29-Count Indictment
A drug trafficking organization in Houston, Harris County, Texas, was charged by federal prosecutors on May 22, 2025: a 29-count indictment unsealed that day charged 12 men and 3 women for their roles in the organization and related gun offenses. Nine defendants had been arrested and made initial appearances, and three remained fugitives.
According to court documents released by the Justice Department, the defendants were part of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, Xanax, psilocybin mushrooms, and marijuana. The indictment alleges the defendants used several drug houses and a food truck to store illegal drugs and conduct drug transactions, and used the U.S. mail and homes in different Houston neighborhoods to distribute and sell methamphetamine and other drugs; six of the defendants face additional charges for gun crimes relating to their alleged drug trafficking. In one notable instance in June 2023, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents seized 29 kilograms of methamphetamine that one defendant was attempting to transport into the United States, according to the charges. The indictment was returned under seal on May 14 and unsealed on May 22.
“As alleged, this drug trafficking organization imported methamphetamine directly from Mexico and used the U.S. mail, a taco truck, and homes in different Houston neighborhoods to distribute and sell methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. “Several of the defendants are also alleged to have used firearms in furtherance of their narcotics trafficking and illegally possessed firearms despite having previously been convicted of felonies.” U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas said the defendants were alleged to have engaged in a multi-drug narcotics distribution ring and to have used illegal firearms to facilitate their enterprise, and that some charges indicate methamphetamine was allegedly sourced from Mexico. Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Houston, said the transnational criminal organization had for years flooded local communities with deadly narcotics, and that investigators working with the Houston Police Department and Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces partners exposed and dismantled the scheme.
On penalties, James Michael Brewer, also known as Creeper, 33; Jonathan Alvarado, also known as Joker, 28; Hector Luis Lopez, also known as Capulito, 23; Alfredo Gomez, also known as Fredo, 26; and Victor Norris Ellison, 35, all of Houston, were indicted on drug trafficking and firearm charges and, if convicted, each faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison, with the firearms offenses carrying up to another 15 years. Nine other defendants indicted on drug trafficking charges each face, if convicted, a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. Marcos Rene Simaj-Guch, also known as Taco Man, 41, charged with drug trafficking, faces a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years if convicted.
Nine defendants made initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho. Enzo Xavier Dominguez, 32, William Alexander Lazo, 21, and Alfredo Gomez were in custody and expected to make initial appearances. Three others were considered fugitives with warrants outstanding: Mexican national Jose Francisco Garcia-Martinez, also known as Paco, 29; Marcos Rene Simaj-Guch; and Jose Eduardo Morales, also known as Primo, 22, of Houston.
ICE-HSI and the Houston Police Department led the investigation, with assistance from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Texas Board of Criminal Justice - Office of the Inspector General. Trial Attorneys Ralph Paradiso and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division's Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Rodriguez for the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The case is part of the Criminal Division's Violent Crime Initiative in Houston and of Operation Take Back America. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于德克萨斯州休斯顿市的 Bob Casey 联邦法院大楼全景，该楼为德克萨斯州南区联邦法院所在地。WhisperToMe 摄，公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Full view of the Bob Casey United States Courthouse in Houston, Texas, home to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Photo by WhisperToMe, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
