Seven individuals residing in southwest Missouri have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Several of these individuals are Mexican nationals, according to a news release from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) published on July 11.
According to the DEA, six of the seven individuals named in an unsealed federal grand jury indictment have been arrested. The indictment charges Wilbert Pacheco-Salazar, 36, a citizen of Mexico residing in Springfield, Mo.; Frank Lee Chapman, 35; Omar Rosales-Olmos, 51, a citizen of Mexico; Jaime Francisco Figueroa, 42; Issac Alan Schilling, 32; Evan Lance Masters, 47; and Indelfonso Vazquez-Martinez, 52, a citizen of Mexico. These individuals are accused of participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine across four counties between January 1, 2020, and May 1, 2024.
In addition to drug distribution charges, Vazquez-Martinez and Rosales-Olmos are also charged with conspiring to launder money related to financial transactions involving drug-trafficking proceeds. Pacheco-Sanchez faces additional charges for possessing cocaine with intent to distribute and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. This latter charge pertains to an incident on April 4, 2021, when he allegedly possessed a Remington 7mm rifle.
Figueroa is facing three counts of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute, one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Chapman is charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He allegedly possessed a Taurus semiautomatic pistol on September 10, 2023. Schilling and Masters are each charged with one count of possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
The United States Drug Enforcement Administration was established in 1973 to enforce controlled substances laws and regulations within the United States. It aims to bring organizations and principal members involved in the growing, manufacture or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic within the U.S., into the criminal and civil justice system. The DEA also supports non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances.
