TYLER, Texas – A35-year-old Longview, Texas man has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Antonio Cortez Gonzales pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana today before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love.
According to information presented in court, on Aug. 19, 2013, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gonzales’ Longview residence. The search revealed 150 grams of cocaine, 6.5 kilograms of marijuana, empty wrappers for kilogram quantities of cocaine, guns and ammunition. Further investigation revealed kilograms of cocaine were being transported from Houston to Gonzales in Longview for distribution to others. A federal grand jury returned a 30-count indictment on Apr. 23, 2014, charging Gonzales and 17 others with drug trafficking violations.
Gonzales faces up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set.
This case is the result of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) joint investigation. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Ann Cozby.
