A Houston man has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing bulk crystal methamphetamine with intent to distribute, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Devon Shermaine Rhodes, 45, entered his guilty plea on September 15. U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison ordered him to serve a 135-month sentence followed by five years of supervised release. During the sentencing hearing, Rhodes requested a 46-month term and denied discarding drugs or driving dangerously at the time of his arrest. The court rejected this request after reviewing video evidence and considering Rhodes’s criminal history, the dangers associated with crystal methamphetamine, and the risk he posed to the community.
Authorities observed Rhodes participating in a drug transaction at a fast-food restaurant on November 8, 2022. Earlier that day, he had paid over $10,000 in cash for about five kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.
When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, Rhodes fled at speeds reaching 100 mph and threw multiple kilograms of methamphetamine out of his vehicle’s window during the pursuit. The packages burst upon hitting the road. A subsequent search of his car uncovered additional amounts of crystal methamphetamine.
Rhodes remains in custody awaiting transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation with support from several agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations; FBI; Harris County Sheriff’s Office; and Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shelley J. Sullivan prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Operation All Gas No Brakes under the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF brings together various government agencies to target criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational organizations, human smuggling operations and other crimes affecting both national security and public safety within U.S borders and abroad.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas leads prosecutions for HSTF Houston cases involving agents from DEA, FBI, HSI and ATF working collaboratively with local law enforcement partners (official website). This office operates as part of the U.S. Department of Justice under appointment by the President with Senate confirmation (official website), focusing on prosecuting federal crimes across its jurisdiction that spans 43 counties from Houston to near the Mexican border (official website). With headquarters in Houston (official website), it employs more than 200 attorneys serving over nine million people (official website) since its creation as a judicial district in 1902 (official history page).
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