Fort Stockton sweep latest area drug bust

FORT STOCKTON – Federal, state and local law enforcement on Thursday, June 7 arrested 24 Fort Stockton residents including alleged ringleader Noe Torres “Prieto” Ortega in connection with a cocaine distribution operation, said United States Attorney Robert Pitman and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Joseph M. Arabit.

All of the defendants are charged in a 27-count federal grand jury indictment returned on May 17 and unsealed last week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Dwight Goains. The indictment charges all of the defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. Other charges in the indictment include distribution of a controlled substance in a school/playground zone, namely Rocket Park and Fort Stockton Intermediate School; possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance; use of a communication facility (phone) in a felony drug offense; and, maintaining a drug-involved premises.

Law enforcement authorities this year have staged drug sweeps in Alpine,  Presidio and Odessa-Midland and arrested dozens of suspects..

“DEA and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners are working together to have a positive impact at the local level. Together, we are taking these drug dealers off the streets and depriving them of the opportunity to further engage in criminal activity, which has adversely affected the quality of life in this region. We are sending a strong and unified message that drug dealing, at all levels, will not be tolerated, and, in turn, we are making our communities safer,” said Arabit.

Upon conviction of the drug conspiracy count, the defendants face between ten years and life in federal prison. All of the defendants remain in federal custody at this time.

This investigation was conducted by agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration Alpine Resident Office Multi-Agency Task Force (MTF) comprised of agents from DEA, United States Border Patrol, Pecos County Sheriff’s Office, Brewster County Sheriff’s Office, Alpine Police Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety – Criminal Investigation Division as well as members of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Presidio and Alpine and the Fort Stockton Police Department. The United States Marshals Service, along with Special Response Teams from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the City of Pecos, also assisted with the arrests. This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Monty Kimball.

The defendants are Noe “Prieto” Torres Ortega, Justin Ray Holguin, Guadalupe “Lupe” Hernandez Granado, Alexander Jon Pillado, Juan Isidro Vasquez, Veronica Colomo Holguin, Maria Elida Colomo, Omar Colomo, Samuel Lee Holguin, Adan Ljuan Villegas aka Hamburger, Joseph Aaron Benavidez, Geomar Calderon, Sandra Martinez Quintela, Patricio Dominguez Primera, Georgina Jimenez, Salvador Luna Chacon, Sonya Galvan Sheehan.