Press Release
Indictment: 8 Pounds Of MethamphetamineHidden In Trunk Of Women's Car
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Kansas
WICHITA, KAN. - Two New Mexico women were indicted Tuesday on charges of bringing more than 8 pounds of methamphetamine to Wichita, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said.
Annabell Romero, 37, Tucumcari, N.M., and Pamela Y. Meier, 43, Tucumcari, New Mexico, were charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of traveling in interstate commerce in furtherance of drug trafficking.
They initially were charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Wichita March 1. An affidavit in support of the complaint alleged that on Feb. 28 they were driving eastbound in the 21000 block of west US 54 when they were stopped by a deputy of the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s. Investigators found the methamphetamine in duct taped bundles inside four brown paper sacks that were hidden in the lining of the trunk. Investigators learned the two women were being paid to transport the drugs from Phoenix to Wichita.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million on the charge of possession with intent to distribute, and maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other charge. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
OTHER INDICTMENTS
Osiel Torres-Guerrero, 35, and Pedro Antonio Torres, 39, both in custody at the Leavenworth Detention Center of CCA, are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 3.8 pounds of methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Feb. 20 in Wabaunsee County, Kan.
An affidavit filed in the case alleges the methamphetamine was found in their car when they were stopped by the Kansas Highway Patrol while driving eastbound on I-70 near mile marker 322 in Wabaunsee County.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than 10 years and a fine up to $10 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Hendershot is prosecuting.
Luis Felipe Cortez-Parra, 23, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute approximately 2 kilograms (more than 4.5 pounds) of methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred Oct. 10, 2013, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $4 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Jacobs is prosecuting.
Jeremy L. Landon, 49, Garden City, Kan., and Crystal A. Castanada, 27, Garden City, Kan., are charged with one count of distributing methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Jan. 24 in Garden City, Kan.
If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.
Keenan R. Linneman, 33, Emporia, Kan., is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction, one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The crimes are alleged to have occurred Nov. 4 in Emporia.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $500,000 on the marijuana charge, and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the other charge. The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
Gabriel Marceleno-Lopez, a citizen of Mexico,is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Feb. 25, 2014, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Marla R. McDonald, 25, Garden City, Kan., is charged with making false statements in order to receive about $17,500 in Social Security Administration child survivor’s benefits to which she was not entitled. The crime is alleged to have occurred Sept. 22, 2011, in Garden City.
If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Social Security Administration – Office of Inspector General investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
John William Kerbow, 45, Wichita, Kan., is charged with six counts of aggravated identity theft and six counts of attempted bank fraud. The indictment alleges he used counterfeit driver’s licenses and false checks to attempt to defraud Commerce Bank of Newton, Commerce Bank of Wichita, Intrust Bank of Wichita and Conway Bank of Wichita.
If convicted, he faces a mandatory two years in prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each identity theft count and a maximum penalty of 30 years and a fine up to $1 million on each count of attempted bank fraud. The U.S. Secret Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Lind is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Updated December 15, 2014
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