Irving man receives lengthy federal prison sentence as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigation for trafficking fentanyl in the Eastern District of Texas

SHERMAN, Texas - An Irving man has been sentenced to over 13 years in federal prison as part of a Homeland Security Task Force investigation for trafficking fentanyl in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Dulio Ariel De-La-O, 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 165 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant on June 15, 2026.

According to information presented in court, during a drug trafficking investigation in 2022, it was determined that De-La-O was distributing "k-packs," or 1,000 pill quantities of fentanyl, to individuals in the Eastern District of Texas. A search of De-La-O's residence during the investigation resulted in the seizure of over 3,000 counterfeit Xanax pills laced with fentanyl and $91,799 in U.S. currency.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating 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. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Dallas comprises agents and officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dallas Field Office; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Dallas (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Dallas Field Division; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Dallas Field Division; Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CD; United States Postal Service, United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Transportation Security Administration, Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS); United States Secret Service (USSS); Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DSS); TEXOMA HIDTA; and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas with the prosecution being led by Eastern District of Texas Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Johnson.

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