Houston Resident Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Cocaine into Southern Illinois

Another Houston, Texas resident has been sentenced in the Southern District of Illinois to federal prison for drug trafficking. On Thursday, May 10, 2018, Victor Johnson, age 44, was sentenced to 188 months in prison and five years of supervised release for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that resulted in the seizure of $1.2 million dollars in cash, $72,000 in jewelry, and several kilos of cocaine. United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce announced the sentence for the Southern District of Illinois.

An indictment filed on February 18, 2016, charged that Johnson was one of the leaders of a group who connected a Houston-based drug organization with customers in the St. Louis area. Johnson and seven co-defendants were named in the indictment, which accused them of participating in a conspiracy to transport and distribute large amounts of cocaine into the Southern District of Illinois from Texas. The indictment further sought forfeiture of $1,212,934 in U.S. currency, along with jewelry appraised at $72,000 – criminal proceeds that were seized on December 2 and 3, 2015, in Creve Coeur, Missouri, and O’Fallon, Illinois.

All of the defendants previously pleaded guilty, and Johnson was the last member of the group to be sentenced. His co-defendants also received significant prison sentences – Sammy Monroe (168 months), Rodney Smith (147 months), Dana Bell (87 months), Nahum Shibeshi (48 months), Astin Allison (151 months), Terrance Miles (121 months) and Jamie Green (262 months)

– after it was determined that they were responsible for trafficking approximately 120 kilos of cocaine into Southern Illinois.

This investigation was conducted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF initiative brings federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and resources together to identify, target and dismantle large national and international drug trafficking organizations. The investigation was conducted by agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.