Latest Legal News from the Criminal Courts in Houston, Texas

FEBRUARY 27, 2007 PHONE: (972)

OPERATION KOTTONMOUTH RESULTS IN 34 DRUG ARRESTS

SHERMAN, TX – United States Attorney Matthew D. Orwig announced that early this morning a combined task force of more than 100 federal, state, and local law enforcement agents began arresting individuals involved in drug trafficking in Collin and Dallas Counties. The arrests mark the initial phase in this investigation into the sale and distribution of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine in the Eastern and Northern Districts of Texas.

Task force agents and officers executed arrest and search warrants at more than fifty locations in the Dallas area, result in the apprehension of 34 of 36 individuals named in the federal indictment. Two additional defendants named in the indictment remain at large at the present time. During these arrests, officers seized approximately six kilograms of cocaine, significant quantities heroin, and over $35,000 dollars in suspected drug proceeds. Officers also seized two businesses, five residences, 20 vehicles and numerous firearms believed to be associated with the drug trafficking activity. The following is a list of the individuals currently in custody as a result of today's warrants and arrests:

Salvador Yanez Ruiz, 44, Teodoro Antunes Ortuno, 32, Blanca Estella Cantu, 34, Maria Del Rasario Orosco, 25, Gustavo Antunez Orosco, 26, Toby Gonzales, 35, Cosme Rejinaldo Gonzalez, 33, Rosa Maria Gonzalez, 29, Lisa Marie Charbonneau, 24, Bruce Bryan Baxter, 48, Jesse Daniel Bakos, 26, Andy Taylor McCullough, 33, John Vincent McCormack, 31, and Frances Ory Cohen, 57, all of Dallas; Lauren Olivia Tyler, 20, Amy Marie Rodriguez, 33, Krisztian Endre Lantos, 31, J. Hunter Minikes, 21, Rachel Marie Long, 22, Blake Bethea Bradshaw, 24, all of Plano; Michael Patrick Finnegan, 25, Michael Allen Kamin, 21, David Noble Holt, 21, Michael Eugene Rice, 26 and Tristan Stewart Lebeau, 21, all of Frisco; Gregory Alan Farrar, 31of Grapevine; Russell Louis Hamner, 25, Christopher Dion Benetis, 32, Jason Anthony Meyer, 26, all of Allen; Reymundo Antunez Araujo, 29 of Caddo Mills, Texas; Katie Sue Cozby, 20 and Stephen Marcus Dueboay, Jr., 30, of The Colony and Adam Ray Watts of McKinney.

Today's arrests and seizures are the result of a one year investigation of a major Mexican drug trafficking organization operating in the Dallas metroplex. The investigation was initiated in December 2005 in response to more than 30 non-fatal and 7 fatal heroin overdoses in the North Texas area. In connection with this investigation, numerous narcotics purchases were made including substantial quantities of heroin. The conspirators named in this federal indictment utilized various suppliers to acquire large quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and crack cocaine for distribution.

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