Five members of a Houston drug trafficking organization were sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms as part of the Homeland Security Task Force in the Eastern District of Texas, U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced on April 29.
The sentencing is significant due to the large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl involved and reflects ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address major drug distribution networks.
Salvador Abraham Gomez, also known as Chop and Chief, received a sentence of 300 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges involving methamphetamine and fentanyl. Da Neang was sentenced to 151 months for conspiracy related to fentanyl distribution. Fernando Adalberto Vazquez-Pardo received a sentence of 135 months, Guillermo Alfredo Sisnados was given 121 months, and Ebony Barber was sentenced to 120 months for their roles in distributing methamphetamine or fentanyl. The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on various dates in March and April.
Court information revealed that an investigation began in 2021 into a drug trafficking scheme spanning Louisiana and East Texas, ultimately identifying Gomez as the source along with his associates Neang, Vazquez-Pardo, Sisnados, and Barber. Authorities determined that Gomez coordinated the distribution of at least 7,805 grams of methamphetamine and nearly five kilograms of fentanyl across multiple states.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159. The HSTF brings together agencies such as the FBI; Department of Homeland Security; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations; U.S. Marshals Service; with prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Houston Division Office Texas Anti-Gang Enforcement Group worked alongside several police departments from Houston area counties during this investigation.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District covers prosecution over federal crimes across forty-three counties in East Texas according to its official website. The office operates out of Beaumont, Lufkin, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana and Tyler according to its official website with about one hundred employees including fifty assistant attorneys according to its official website. It provides civil litigation services while supporting victims through dedicated programs according to its official website, working within the United States Department of Justice according to its official website.
