Methamphetamine Trafficker Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison

WICHITA FALLS, Texas — Juan Leonardo Tello, 50, of Dallas, Texas, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor following his guilty plea in March 2017 to one count of conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.

Judge O’Connor sentenced Tello to 180 months in federal prison. Tello has been in custody since the time of his arrest in January 2017.

In May 2017, Judge O’Connor sentenced co-defendants Jackie Eugene Clayton, 38, to 235 months in federal prison, Juan Carlos Lopez, 53, to 100 months in federal prison and Rudy Roman Ramirez, 45, to 135 months in federal prison for their role in the methamphetamine conspiracy.

According to documents filed in Tello’s case, from December 2014 through December 3, 2015, Tello, on multiple occasions, obtained various amounts of methamphetamine to distribute to others. Tello distributed quantities of methamphetamine to numerous customers from Wichita Falls, including Ramirez and Lopez. Tello’s customers paid him for the methamphetamine in cash, by depositing money into bank accounts that Tello controlled, and by wiring money to Tello.

The case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Wichita County District Attorney’s Office, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Walters was in charge of the prosecution.

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