James T. Jacks
Acting United States Attorney
Northern District of Texas

WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS, RESIDENTS SENTENCED ON
CONSPIRACY AND FIREARM CHARGES
IN METHAMPHETAMINE MANUFACTURING CASE

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — At a sentencing hearing today in U.S. District Court in Wichita Falls, Texas, two defendants were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor for their involvement in a methamphetamine manufacturing conspiracy, announced acting U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.

Dearl Duane Adams, 58, and Billy Eugene Hodges, 50, were each sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Both Adams and Hodges pled guilty in January 2009 to conspiring to manufacture 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Two of their co-defendants, Mayank Malhortra, a/k/a Mike, 28, and Shane Tenador Roberson, 35, pled guilty to the same charge and were sentenced on January 23, 2009 to 10 years and 14 years, respectively. Co-defendant Paula Helen Schroeder-Roberson, 46, was sentenced the same day to two years in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a sawed-off shotgun, a firearm that was not registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Act.

When state law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Shane Roberson’s home in Clay County, Texas, on January 27, 2008, they discovered chemicals, supplies and equipment used to “cook” (manufacture) methamphetamine. They also discovered methamphetamine and pseudoephedrine, a precursor chemical used to manufacture the drug, as well as a large amount of “lab trash,” evidence of numerous past “cooks” (manufacturing episodes). They also discovered a sawed-off shotgun that belonged to Paula Helen Schroeder-Roberson.

Roberson admitted that he assisted co-defendants Dearl Duane Adams and Billy Eugene Hodges in “cooking” (manufacturing) large amounts of methamphetamine at Roberson’s residence and that they had “cooked” pound quantities of methamphetamine at Roberson’s residence at least once a week since October 2007. Roberson admitted that he received methamphetamine from them as payment for his help.

 Adams admitted that he and Hodges manufactured and distributed methamphetamine and that they regularly obtained large quantities of pseudoephedrine to manufacture the drug from Mayank Malhotra and Rikky Parikh, two nationals of India. In fact, Adams stated that he and Hodges regularly acquired up to 50 cases of pseudoephedrine at a time, which amounts to about 3.5 kilograms of pseudoephedrine and produces two kilograms of methamphetamine, from Malhotra and Parikh for $20,000. On the night of March 26, 2008, the police arrested Parikh when he attempted to deliver 3.5 kilograms of pseudoephedrine to Adams. Parikh was armed with a pistol. On March 27, 2008, they discovered a large quantity of pseudoephedrine, with a net weight of 3.29 kilograms in Hodges’ garage, which would yield 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Parikh pled guilty to conspiracy to manufacture 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in May 2008. Parikh was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for these crimes by Judge O’Connor in August 2008.

The case was investigated by the Wichita County District Attorney’s Office Drug Task Force, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Tromblay and Jennifer Tourje prosecuted the case.

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