Thirty-four members of a methamphetamine ring that operated in the Dimmitt, Texas area have been sentenced to a combined 364 years in federal prison, the FBI reported.
The majority were charged in a 38-count federal indictment filed in February 2020, then arrested during a large-scale takedown in March 2020.
The FBI’s Dallas Field Office, which led the bust, dubbed it Operation Tierra de Hielo, or “Operation Land of Ice.”
The first defendant to plead guilty, Denita Mirelez, 48, entered her plea on August 19, 2020, admitting that she and a co-conspirator sold several ounces of meth to an FBI informant. She was later sentenced to 97 months in federal prison.
The final defendant to plead guilty, Johnny Gilbert Lopez, aka “Cannon,” 55, entered his plea 19 months later, on March 21, 2022. He also admitted that he sold meth to an informant and was sentenced yesterday to 100 months in federal prison.
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“This investigation was a massive undertaking and a true partnership between local, state and federal agencies. We dismantled the entire organization, from out-of-state leadership, to West Texas leaders, suppliers and distributors,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The collective sentences imposed on the dozens of defendants will have a lasting impact on the community as we continue to work to keep our communities free from the social, criminal and community health damages caused by methamphetamine.”
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