Press Release
Indictment: Car Stop Turned Up 22 Pounds of Meth Bound for Wichita
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Kansas
WICHITA, KAN. – Two men were indicted Tuesday on federal charges of trying to smuggle more than 22 pounds of methamphetamine into Wichita, Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Hector Daniel Vazquez, 26, Wichita, Kan., and Pedro Ruben Garibay, 28, Wichita, Kan., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
An affidavit filed in the case alleges that on Aug. 12, 2016, a deputy with the Clark County (Kansas) Sheriff’s Office stopped a gray 2016 Volkswagen Jetta in Minneola, Kan., for a traffic violation. The officer found a .40 caliber pistol and a black gym bag containing more than 22 pounds of methamphetamine in the car. When investigators learned the methamphetamine was to be delivered to buyers in Wichita, they set up a sting operation to deliver part of the shipment. In Wichita, Vazquez and Garibay were arrested when they met the load in the parking lot of a Super 8 Motel.
If convicted, the defendants face a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. Investigating agencies include the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the Haysville Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Wichita Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.
OTHER GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS
Bill L. Miller, 56, Wichita, Kan., and Tjay B. Miller, 28, Wichita, Kan., are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In addition, Tjay Miller is charged with one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm following a felony conviction, one count of unlawfully possessing a firearm while being a user of controlled substances and a second count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2015 and 2016 in Wichita.
Upon conviction, the crimes carry the following penalties:
Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine: Not less than five years and not more than 40 years in federal prison and a fine up to $5 million.
Unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon or a user of controlled substances: A maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
The Wichita Police Department and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lanny Welch is prosecuting.
John J. O’Neill, 62, Wichita, Kan., president of Omni Aerospace, Inc., is charged with making a false statement on a federal tax return. The crime is alleged to have occurred April 13, 2011, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces up to three years in federal prison and a fine up to $100,000. The Internal Revenue Service investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger is prosecuting.
Paulo Ivan Garcia, 39, a citizen of Mexico, is charged with one count of unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported, one count of assaulting a federal office, one count of document fraud, one count of misusing a Social Security number, one count of producing a false identification document and one count of aggravated identity theft. The crimes are alleged to have occurred in 2012 and 2016 in Ford County, Kan.
Upon conviction, the alleged crimes carry the following penalties:
Unlawful re-entry: A maximum of two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Assaulting a federal officer: Up to eight years and a fine up to $250,000.
Document fraud: Up to 10 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Misuse of a Social Security number: Up to five years and a fine up to $250,000.
Unlawful production of an identity document: Up to 15 years and a fine up to $250,000.
Aggravated identity theft: A mandatory two years to run consecutively to other sentences.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Lorenzo Mejia-Juarez, 33, a citizen of Guatemala, is charged with unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported. He was found Aug. 3, 2016, in Ford County, Kan.
If convicted, he faces a penalty of up to two years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting.
Angelica M. Mendoza-Lopez, 37, Wichita, Kan., is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The crime is alleged to have occurred July 16, 2016, in Sedgwick County, Kan.
If convicted, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. The Wichita Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst is prosecuting.
In all cases, defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictments merely contain allegations of criminal conduct.
Updated August 16, 2016
Topic
Drug Trafficking
Component