Crime & Safety
4 Sentenced To Prison In Multi-State Cocaine Conspiracy
Off to jail: The last 4 defendants in a multi-state cocaine distribution conspiracy were sentenced to federal prison on Monday.
HOUSTON, TX — The final four defendants charged in a Dickinson area cocaine conspiracy have all been ordered to federal prison.
Arturo Cruz, 35, of Dickinson, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, while Patrick Frederick, 49, of Galveston, Dionisio Gonzalez, 56, of Bacliff, and Carlos Cantu, 36, of Dickinson, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine.
Initially the U.S. Attorney's Office charged 10 in a multi-state drug trafficking conspiracy that had been moving cocaine since 2014.
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On Monday, U.S. District Judge Vanessa Gilmore sentenced Cruz, who was responsible for distributing more than 50 kilograms of cocaine, to more than 10 years in federal prison.
Frederick received a 10-year sentence, while Gonzales and Cantu received respective terms of 6-years and 7- years.
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The court found that Cruz was a leader within the conspiracy so his prison term included upward adjustments or increases in his calculated sentencing guideline range.
Cruz also forfeited his interests in real estate located in Dickinson valued in excess of $150,000.
Meanwhile, the other six charged and convicted in the case were:
- Amado Cruz, 27
- Guadalupe Ochoa, 30
- Matt Olguin, 28
- Reid Wilder 33
- Sidney Hobbs, 47
They previously received sentences ranging from 6-10 years in federal prison.
All were part of a multi-state drug trafficking organization that had existed on the gulf coast since 2013.
The drug trafficking organization, based out of the Dickenson area, had cocaine couriered in from Houston where it was then either sent out of state or redistributed to the surrounding areas.
The FBI led the nearly three-year Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation with the assistance of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety, Galveston County Sheriff’s Office and the Dickinson Police Department.
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