The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas announced the successful prosecution of multiple criminals following investigations by a Homeland Security Task Force established by the Trump administration.
Federal prosecutors say the cases included methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl-laced pills tied to organized criminal activity.
The Homeland Security Task Force initiative was established following an executive order from President Donald Trump to eliminate “criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.”
“Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders,” according to the Eastern District office.
Among the defendants sentenced were:
- Nestor Molina Molina, an illegal alien from Mexico. Molina was sentenced to 140 months in federal prison for involvement in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Indolfo Hernandez of Houston, who pled guilty earlier this month to being involved “in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.” He faces 10 years to life in federal prison for his leadership in a drug trafficking ring responsible for trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine.
- Kevin Chase McCauley, from Saginaw, was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for selling fentanyl-laced hydrocodone pills that resulted in the death of an individual.
Two individuals, one from Qatar and the other from Guatemala, were extradited to the U.S. to face federal charges in Texas’ Eastern District.
