Dozens arrested in drug trafficking sting
More than four dozen people were arrested and at least $3.1 million was seized in a sting involving a known drug trafficker with ties to the Gulf cartel who allegedly supplied cocaine and heroin to at least six distribution cells in the Houston-Galveston area, authorities said Wednesday.
The three-year investigation, dubbed Operation Wrecking Ball, included a full-time Department of Justice prosecutor in Galveston, the first time the federal agency has had someone there in decades, said Ryan Patrick, U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Texas. It also involves 56 defendants, including Dominican nationals.
“This is unique, the size and scope of this,” Patrick said.
In the investigation, authorities identified a trafficking network led by Carlos Alberto Guajardo, 48, in Mexico, who allegedly supplied drugs to local distribution cells, four of which are run by Dominicans.
The partnership is “just not something we see in Southeast Texas,” Patrick added.
The international drug trafficking operation was believed to transport more than 100 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to Houston every month, said Will Glaspy, special agent in charge with the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The investigation originally focused on Guajardo, who remains a fugitive in the case, Glaspy said. The investigation further found that cocaine and heroin were being sold in the Houston region as well as transported to Atlanta, Miami, and New York. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized about 124 kilograms of cocaine and 4 kilograms of heroin.
Over 300 agents executed 25 federal search warrants Wednesday morning, with at least 33 individuals arrested in the Houston metro area, Glaspy said. Law enforcement also seized 31 vehicles and approximately $1 million to $3 million in cash from a residence in Houston, and reported no violent incidents in executing the warrants.
Multiple state, local and federal agencies were involved in the case, including within Pearland, Webster, Dickinson, Santa Fe and League City, he added.
The case will be prosecuted in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas. The Galveston federal courthouse will not have the capacity to handle the large number of defendants, therefore first appearances will be made in Houston.