Jury Finds A Man Guilty Of Conspiring To Distribute Methamphetamine In Tulsa And Elsewhere

A jury found Juan Garcia, also known as "Shorty," guilty of Drug Conspiracy, announced Loretta F. Radford, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma. The jury determined that Garcia conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and elsewhere. The jury also found the scope of the conspiracy involved at least 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

On January 26, 2017, Tulsa Department Police (TPD) officers pulled over a Chevrolet truck in which Garcia was a passenger. The truck had been following a Chevrolet Cruze from Oklahoma City, which was transporting three pounds, or approximately 1400 grams, of methamphetamine. TPD officers pulled the Cruze over and found the methamphetamine. TPD officers seized a phone and $19,915 from Garcia's person. TPD officers also discovered three other cellphones in the Chevrolet truck.

TPD officers and agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested and interviewed co-conspirators, and extracted data from all of the cellphones seized in this case. From these interviews and data extractions, law enforcement learned that Garcia was the supplier of the three pounds of methamphetamine. Law enforcement also learned that Garcia had been supplying methamphetamine to the other co-conspirators at least as far back as November 2016.

Chief Judge Gregory K. Frizzell, of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and will sentence Garcia on December 4, 2017. Garcia faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least 5 years supervised release following his release from imprisonment. Garcia also faces deportation to Mexico.

This case was investigated by the Tulsa Police Department's Special Investigations Division, the DEA, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Neal C. Hong.