Eastern District of Texas prosecutes multiple defendants as part of Homeland Security Task Force investigations in September 2026

PLANO, Texas - The Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative was 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.

In the Eastern District of Texas, five defendants were sentenced to a total of 1,105 months in federal prison during the month of September as part of the Homeland Security Task Force, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. Additionally, two Chinese nationals were arrested, and another four defendants were extradited from Guatemala to the United States to face drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas.

On September 2, 2026, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Jr., 24, of Dallas, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison for trafficking at least 50 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico to the United States for further distribution.

On September 2, 2026, a Beaumont man was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas. Darrell Joshua Bendy, 42, was convicted at trial of trafficking between 20-30 kilograms of methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas.

On September 9, 2026, U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced the arrests in China of Lisa Xing, 36, and Zhanwen Song, 38, Chinese citizens. Xing and Song were named in a six-count superseding indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Texas, charging them with drug trafficking and money laundering violations. If convicted they face between 10 years and life in federal prison. It is important to note that a federal indictment is not evidence of guilt, and all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

On September 15, 2026, 53-year-old Mozambican, Norolamin Gulam was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and ordered to pay a money judgment in the amount of $7.5 million for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Gulam was identified as the leader of a transnational money laundering organization with connections and ties throughout Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, the United States, and Central and South America. Gulam used multiple businesses and real estate ventures to launder multi-million dollar amounts of drug proceeds. It is believed Gulam was responsible for laundering a minimum of $500 million in U.S. currency.

On September 17, 2026, Pamela Esquivias, 25, of Maricopa, Arizona, was sentenced to 262 months in federal prison, while Aaron Jay Perez, 29, of Dallas, received 120 months in federal prison. The two were charged with federal drug trafficking violations as the result of an investigation into the overdose death of a 16-year-old girl in Flower Mound.

On September 24, 2026, U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs returned from an unprecedented visit to Guatemala where he was part of a Department of Justice delegation that met with the President of Guatemala, their Attorney General, and Secretary of the Interior. Following the meetings, U.S. Attorney Combs boarded a DEA prisoner transport plane and accompanied four indicted individuals from Guatemala to the United States, including Juan Carlos Cruz Ovalle. Ovalle was indicted in 2018 and is alleged to have trafficked multi-ton quantities of cocaine from Guatemala for distribution to the United States. It is important to note that a federal indictment is not evidence of guilt, and all defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty.

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. HSTF Houston comprises agents and officers from the FBI; U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations - Houston (ICE-HSI); Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI); and U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Eastern District of Texas; Texas Department of Public Safety; Jefferson County Sheriff's Office; Beaumont Police Department; Port Neches Police Department; Harris County Sheriff's Office; Vidor Police Department; and the Orange County Sheriff's Office.

For more information about the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edtx.