KANSAS CITY, KAN. - A man from Mexico was indicted here today on federal charges of heroin trafficking, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.
Orlando Alexis Gaxiola-Guevara, 23, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. On June 26, 2019, the defendant was a passenger in a 2008 Ford Fusion eastbound on I-70 when a deputy with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office stopped the car. According to court documents, investigators found approximately five pounds of black tar heroin and brown powder heroin hidden in the quarter panels of the car.
If convicted, the defendant faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Logan County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle McFarlane is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Asenath Roland, 43, Kansas City, Kan., former president of the Kansas Postal Workers Union, is charged with stealing more than $4,700 that belonged to the union. The crime is alleged to have occurred in May and June 2017 in Wyandotte County, Kan.
If convicted, she faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.
Mark D. Young, 27, is charged with one count of escaping from the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons. A criminal complaint filed earlier shows he was serving the latter part of a sentence at a residential re-entry center in Leavenworth and failed to return on July 10, 2019, after leaving on a work pass.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leon Patton is prosecuting.
Richey Farmer, 26, is charged with one count of escaping from federal custody at the Grossman Community Corrections Center in Leavenworth. The crime is alleged to have occurred May 9, 2019.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The U.S. Marshals Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jabari Wamble is prosecuting.
Christopher Lee Cowan, Sr., 47, is charged in a superseding indictment with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 3, 2019, in Shawnee County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough is prosecuting.
Samantha Jo Case, 27, Wichita, Kan., and Robert Lee Forgie, 28, Wichita, Kan., each are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred July 23, 2019, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years on the drug charge and not less than five years on the gun charge. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Andrusak is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
