Daniel Garibay-Barriga, 39, an illegal alien from Mexico, and Craig Allen Wallace, 50, of Tyler, were sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas on July 21. U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced that Garibay-Barriga received a sentence of 168 months, and Wallace was sentenced to 165 months by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle.
According to information presented in court, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Wallace’s residence on FM 724 in Tyler on January 28, 2025. Investigators discovered two outbuildings with paraphernalia consistent with a clandestine methamphetamine conversion lab. Items found included heating sources, volatile solvents, mesh screens for filtering, and large storage containers. Authorities seized over 44 liters of liquid containing methamphetamine at various stages of processing and more than nine kilograms of crystallized methamphetamine ready for distribution.
Officers also found an RV being used as a makeshift drugstore containing methamphetamine, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, and THC products. Nine firearms were located inside the residence.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at repelling illegal immigration and eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations, as well as protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
The investigation involved the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Gregg County Sheriff’s Office; and Smith County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas works as part of the United States Department of Justice with offices in Beaumont, Lufkin, Plano, Sherman, Texarkana and Tyler; employs about 100 staff members including roughly 50 assistant U.S. attorneys; covers prosecution across 43 counties in East Texas; supports victims through dedicated services; prosecutes federal crimes; delivers civil litigation services, according to the official website.