DEFENDANTS SENTENCED IN FEDERAL COURT FOR ROLES IN 50 KILO COCAINE SEIZURE
CARLOS ROBLES, age 31, and PAUL AGUIRRE, age 31, both residents of the Houston, Texas, area, were sentenced to more than 11 years and 20 years of imprisonment respectively for their roles in a drug conspiracy that involved traffic multiple kilograms of cocaine into the Eastern District of Louisiana from Texas in federal court, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten today.
The defendants pled guilty before U. S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt on November 18, 2008. According the court documents, In May of 2006, two cars, which had traveled from the Houston, Texas, area, arrived at a residence in Slidell, belonging to Andrew Williams and Nakosha Smith. The four others who arrived at the residence were Marlo Thomas, Everett Payne, Joseph Degreat, and Willie White. Those four took part in bringing cocaine, packaged inside duffle bags, into the residence. Afterwards, the four exited in two separate vehicles. Agents stopped both vehicles and discovered approximately $103,000.00 in currency in a heat-sealed bag. A search of the Slidell residence revealed that inside the two duffle bags was approximately 50 kilograms of cocaine. Approximately 4,000 tablets of ecstacy were also found. Subsequent investigation led agents to discover that ROBLES and AGUIRRE were also the immediate sources of the cocaine that was recovered. ROBLES and AGUIRRE were later indicted and charged with being part of the conspiracy earlier this year.
Judge Engelhardt sentenced AGUIRRE to 136 months imprisonment. ROBLES, who had prior convictions for burglary of a dwelling and trafficking of cocaine, was sentenced to a term of 246 months imprisonment. After sentencing, ROBLES and AGUIRRE were remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal’s Service to begin his term of imprisonment.
ROBLES and AGUIRRE were the last two defendants in the conspiracy to be sentenced. Judge Engelhardt previously sentenced Thomas to 120 months, Williams to 180 months, Degerat to 120 months, White to 64 months, and Smith to 21 months based on their respective roles in the conspiracy and their criminal history. Dat Viet Tieu, the source of the ecstacy that was recovered, was sentenced to 46 months by U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier.
This case was investigated by Special Agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration in the New Orleans and Houston Field Offices, and Task Force Agents from St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. John Sheriff’s Office, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Hammond Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin G. Boitmann.
