Second Member of Dallas-Based Methamphetamine and Heroin Trafficking Cell Sentenced to Twenty Years In Federal Prison

A Dallas-area man was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for distributing narcotics, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.

Victor Manuel Gaona, 29, pled guilty in July 2024 to one count of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.  He was sentenced on Tuesday, March 5, 2026, to 240 months in federal prison by United States District Judge Ada E. Brown.

According to court documents and statements made at sentencing, Gaona admitted that on or about June 18, 2024, federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant at a residence on Ben Hur Street, Dallas, Texas, which agents had previously linked to drug-trafficking activity associated with Gaona and co-defendants Omar Castro-Sandoval and Epifanio Flores Magana.  During the search, agents located a clandestine methamphetamine recrystallization laboratory in the residence’s back room along with two minor children residing at the 952-square foot location.  The clandestine laboratory contained liquid, intermediate-stage, and finished methamphetamine along with a propane tank, large burner, sieves, gloves, and large Ziploc baggies.  Additional finished methamphetamine was also found in a bedroom shared by Gaona and Flores Magana.  Heroin, which was bagged for distribution, was located in a utility closet underneath children’s luggage.

Court records reflect that Gaona was ultimately held responsible for nearly 100,000 kilograms of narcotics calculated in converted drug weight.  Co-defendant Castro-Sandoval, who was present at the time of the execution, was sentenced by Judge Brown to 168 months imprisonment on January 20, 2026.  Co-defendant Flores Magana’s sentencing is scheduled for April 14, 2026.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion.  The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad.  Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting, the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders.  In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children.  The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.  HSTF Dallas comprises agents and officers from the Drug Enforcement Administration with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.