Major dealer in Texas busted, found guilty of spreading drugs across the U.S.

A major drug trafficker was found guilty by a federal jury in Beaumont, Texas and now awaits to find out if he will spend life behind bars.

Fernando Perez-Gomez, 35, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance and conspiracy to commit money laundering after an eight-day trial in a federal court.

On July 1, 2020, authorities secured an indictment, which led to the arrest of Perez-Gomez. The Mexican native had been involved in a conspiracy to traffic drugs from Houston through eastern Texas and distributed to the rest of the country for two years.

In addition, investigators linked the defendant with 16 other assailants involved with the drug trafficking conspiracy. As a result, about 80 kilograms of cocaine, more than four kilograms of methamphetamine, a kilogram of heroin and $2.5 million in cash were seized during a federal raid.

“The importation of bulk quantities of drugs from Mexico is a pressing public safety issue that impacts cities and towns far beyond the border. [Agents] will aggressively seek out and prosecute those that seek to profit by smuggling narcotics into our country and distributing these deadly wares in our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Perez-Gomez awaits his sentence before U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone after the U.S. Probation Office presents a comprehensive presentence report.

The report will recommend to the court the defendant’s level and category on the federal sentencing guidelines, which will help determine how long he should stay in prison.

“The conviction of Perez-Gomez is the result of focusing investigative resources against drug trafficking organizations that import large shipments of hard drugs from Mexico then deliver them to cities throughout the United States. DEA and our partners remain determined to identify, dismantle, and destroy drug trafficking organizations that import and spread their poison in cities across our nation,” stated DEA Houston Division Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux.