A 37-year-old man from Houston has received a sentence for his involvement in running an illegal operation that manufactured and distributed meth-containing pills, as stated by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
On June 16, 2023, Marco Juarez entered a guilty plea.
A 120-month prison sentence has been handed down by U.S. District Judge Gray Miller, along with five years of supervised release afterward.
Three individuals from Houston, Alexander Fernandez, 33, Christopher Houser, 36, and Alexis Sandoval, 26, have entered guilty pleas and have already received their sentences. Fernandez was sentenced to 20 years, while Houser and Sandoval received sentences of 36 and 120 months, respectively. Judge Miller emphasized the gravity of the situation when delivering the sentences, highlighting the distribution of pills to customers who mistakenly thought they were receiving Adderall, but were actually given meth.
“Trafficking counterfeit prescription medications laced with deadly and highly addictive narcotics is extremely dangerous and has been a major contributor to the ongoing drug epidemic that is destroying communities across the country,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Kurtz. “Leveraging HSI’s unique cross-border authorities and extensive expertise in cyber and narcotics investigations, we were able to pierce the veil of anonymity that these drug traffickers falsely believed they possessed by operating on the dark web to expose their conspiracy and hold them accountable for their actions.”
In 2020, authorities found that Fernandez was regularly ordering machines for pressing pills, stamps, dyes, and other materials commonly used in illegal pill production.
The inquiry uncovered that the group was producing the pills in nearby homes, initially on Yale Street in the Houston Heights area and subsequently at two different sites in Fulshear.
Fernandez handled the logistics of the pill manufacturing operation, while Juarez provided the meth that served as the active ingredient for the organization. Houser created the pills with the help of pill press machines. Sandoval handled the packaging and shipping of pills from orders made on the dark web.
In October 2020, authorities executed a search warrant at a manufacturing residence in Fulshear, uncovering around seven kilograms of “ice” meth and four kilograms of meth disguised as Adderall pills and powder.
Nearly five kilograms of Adderall pills were discovered at another residence in Fulshear, where they were being packaged for shipment to buyers on the dark web.
The pill press operation was involved in the production and distribution of “Alprazolam” pills that actually contained Etizolam, a substance known for its sedative and muscle relaxant properties.
Juarez has been allowed to stay on bond and will voluntarily report to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility that will be decided soon.
Homeland Security Investigations carried out the probe with help from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen M. Lansden.
