May 28, 2010

TOPEKA MAN SENTENCED TO 10 YEARS ON FEDERAL DRUG TRAFFICKING CHARGE


TOPEKA, KAN. – Lance Joseph Guzman, 52, Topeka, Kan., has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on a drug trafficking charge, U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch said today.

Guzman pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In his plea, he admitted he trafficked in methamphetamine with co-defendant Gary Heath and others. According to court documents, Guzman was one of 30 defendants charged in 2009 as a result of Operation White Pistol, a 12-month federal investigation into drug trafficking in Topeka, Great Bend, Kansas City, Salina, and Lawrence. Investigators seized $694,000 in cash and 10 pounds of methamphetamine, as well as firearms and vehicles when they served search warrants in the case. Guzman was one of 17 defendants who have pleaded guilty.

Welch commended the agencies that participated in White Pistol, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough for their work on the case.