CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Two men have been taken into custody in an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation dubbed Operation Black Mask, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson.
A federal grand jury indicted David Lee Perry, 45, of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Trolaurice Vaughnzedrick Walker aka T.W., 39, of Texarkana, Arkansas, May 11, 2016. The court unsealed the indictment following their arrests yesterday and today. Perry and Walker are expected to make appearances in court before U.S. Magistrate Judges Beth Deere in Little Rock and Barry Bryant in Texarkana, respectively.
Both are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. Perry is also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment alleges the offenses spanned from 2013 to the present.
Also included in the indictment is a notice of criminal forfeiture regarding a Bank of America bank account in the name of Perry’s Auto Sales Inc. and property derived from proceeds of the criminal conduct or used to commit the violations. The government intends to seek a personal money judgment from the defendants in the amount of $250,000.
If convicted of the marijuana conspiracy, both face a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $10 million fine. Walker also another 20 years, upon conviction, as well as a possible $500,000 fine or twice the value of the monetary instrument or funds involved in the transactions or both.
The OCDETF investigation was conducted in Corpus Christi, McAllen, Mission, Falcon Dam, Rio Grande City, Texarkana and Houston. Investigating agencies included Homeland Security Investigations; Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Customs and Border Protection; Texas Department of Public Safety; Starr County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force; sheriff’s offices in the Texas counties of Jim Wells, Hidalgo, Hunt and Harris; Miller County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office; police departments in Alice, McAllen, Pharr and Texarkana; and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie K. Hampton is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence.
A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
