Five Recent Homeland Security Task Force (“HSTF”) Cases Disrupt Significant Drug Trafficking Operations by Illegal Aliens and Others Across Louisiana’s Western District (DOJ)

LAFAYETTE, LA - Today, United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller, together with federal partners at the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI"), Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), and Homeland Security Investigations ("HSI"), announced five significant HSTF drug trafficking cases charged by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana ("USAO") that it charged between mid-February and mid-March and that involved the arrest of illegal aliens and local gang members who were trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine in the District.

"The five HSTF cases we're announcing today, which involve over a dozen defendants and hundreds of kilograms of hard drugs, show how our federal and state partners are disrupting major drug trafficking operations that impact every corner of this District," said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller. "Our Office is laser-focused on HSTF's mission to stamp out every foothold that transnational criminal organizations like the Jalisco Nueva Generacion Cartel and Gulf Cartel make in peddling poisons like fentanyl and methamphetamine in our communities. And for traffickers still operating in our Louisiana communities, the message here is simple: we're doing everything we can to come for you, and when we do you're going to be facing charges that can land you in prison for decades."

"The Homeland Security Task Forces led by FBI and HSI integrate federal, state, and local law enforcement to focus targeted investigations on Foreign Terrorist Organization-designated drug cartels and transnational gangs," said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. "This criminal organization led by Mr. Baker tried to flood our streets with illegal drugs and poison our people. However, the HSTF is effectively rooting these groups out of Louisiana."

"Whether it is concealed in ice cream machines or hidden in the cab of an 18-wheeler, the DEA and our partners are seeing right through the deceptive tactics of these criminal organizations," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer. "Removing nearly 550 pounds of methamphetamine and cocaine from the supply chain in just two stops is a massive victory for public safety. We remain relentless in our mission to dismantle these networks and protect our communities from the violence and addiction these traffickers bring to our doorstep."

"Investigations like this one show the power of true partnership between federal, state, and local law enforcement," said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Wright, Homeland Security Investigations New Orleans. "Working with the Calcasieu Parish Combined Anti-Drug Task Force and the DEA, HSI helped take 15 kilograms of cocaine off the streets and ensure the defendants in this case will face justice. Whether narcotics are crossing our borders or transiting through the United States, HSI will continue to use the HSTF model and our vital partnerships to follow the evidence, dismantle cartel-driven networks, and protect our communities from the violence and devastation caused by illegal drugs."

The following five cases build upon HSTF's cases in the Vernon Parish and Natchitoches areas that the USAO has prosecuted recently:

In the Shreveport area, the matter United States v. Willie Baker et al., No. 25-cr-00296, involves 10 defendants trafficking kilogram quantities of fentanyl, fentanyl analogues, and methamphetamine from transnational criminal organizations through Houston and ultimately to Shreveport. This case charges that one death resulted from the fentanyl trafficking and that two of the defendants, including Willie Lee Baker, have prior drug trafficking convictions that expose them to higher mandatory minimum and maximum penalties. If convicted, the defendants face sentences ranging from 10 years to life imprisonment. The case is being investigated by FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office, and the Shreveport Police Department, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica D. Cassidy and Sam Crichton with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Denise Duhon.

The following images depict some of the narcotics and guns involved in this case:

In Breaux Bridge area, the matter United States v. Ranulfo Garcia Rodriguez and Christian Antonio Sanchez Ramirez, No. 26-cr-00070, involves two Mexican nationals towing several ice cream freezers concealing several fabricated metal boxes, which were welded to the back wall of the insulated freezer compartment. Inside of the metal boxes, agents located approximately 147 kilograms of methamphetamine. If convicted, the defendants face sentences that range from 10 years to life in federal prison. The matter is being investigated by the DEA and Louisiana State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Vermaelen with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.

The following images depict the ice cream machine and the methamphetamine it was concealing:

In the Lafayette area, the matter United States v. Lance Fields and Ronald Adams, Jr., No. 26-cr-00102, involves an 18-wheeler found to be trafficking approximately 100 kilograms of cocaine, concealed in a hidden compartment inside of the cab of the 18-wheeler. If convicted, the defendants face sentences that range from 10 years to life in federal prison. The matter is being investigated by the DEA and Louisiana State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Vermaelen with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.

The following are a few images of the cocaine recovered in this investigation:

In the Lake Charles area, the matter United States v. Juan Francisco Gonzalez de Leon et al., No. 26-cr-00106, involves two Mexican nationals conspiring with another person to traffic approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine on behalf of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG). The three were stopped by members of the Calcasieu Parish Combined Anti-Drug Taskforce ("CAT") and arrested in February and then indicted in March. The matter is being investigated by HSI and CAT and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney LaDonte Murphy with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.

The following is an image of the cocaine recovered in this investigation:

In the Alexandria area, the matter United States v. Elijah Jones, No. 26-cr-00074, involves the trafficking of approximately 6.2 kilograms of fentanyl, 2 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 1 kilogram of oxycodone pills, as well as approximately $34,000 in cash, that were concealed in a storage unit in Alexandria. The matter is being investigated by FBI and the Rapides Area Drug Enforcement group at the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Vermaelen with assistance from Legal Assistant Christy Angelle.

The following is an image of the narcotics and cash recovered in this investigation:

These cases reflect the USAO's ongoing priority to vigorously enforce federal laws designed to protect law enforcement officers, our judicial process, and those who serve the administration of justice. Federal law provides significant penalties for threats, assaults, and obstruction of officers and court personnel, and those who violate these statutes will be held accountable.

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 Region 15 (New Orleans) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana.

Indictments are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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United States Attorney's Office

Western District of Louisiana

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