A Houston man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for his involvement in a large-scale drug trafficking operation. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei of the Southern District of Texas.
Fredrick Jermaine Dunbar, 40, pleaded guilty on October 15, 2025. U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen ordered Dunbar to serve 360 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. During the hearing, the court reviewed evidence that showed Dunbar led and organized a significant drug trafficking organization, recruited others to transport narcotics, and possessed firearms to support his activities. The court also highlighted Dunbar’s leadership role and the considerable amounts of drugs involved.
Law enforcement began investigating Dunbar in early 2020 after identifying him as a supplier of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin in Houston. In April 2020, he arranged for the purchase of two kilograms of methamphetamine intended for redistribution to a co-conspirator. Authorities seized about 12 kilograms of narcotics during the investigation: one kilogram of cocaine, five kilograms of heroin, and six kilograms of methamphetamine.
So far, twelve other individuals have been convicted and sentenced as part of this conspiracy. Dunbar remains in custody awaiting transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety, Harris County Sheriff's Office, and Houston Police Department.
This case is now part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a collaborative effort involving various government agencies aimed at dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling operations within the United States and abroad. The task force focuses on investigating crimes such as child trafficking and utilizes all available legal tools to prosecute violent offenders and remove them from the country.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey N. MacDonald and Anibal J. Alaniz prosecuted this case.
The Southern District of Texas U.S. Attorney's Office has included leaders such as Alamdar Hamdani and Ryan Patrick among its former heads (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/former-leaders). The office operates locations in Houston as well as Galveston, Corpus Christi, Laredo, McAllen, and Brownsville (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/about-us). It is part of the U.S. Department of Justice under the Attorney General (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/about-us), employs over 200 attorneys serving more than nine million people across 43 counties (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/about-us), and handles both federal criminal prosecutions and civil cases for the government (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/about-us).
