Federal Jury Convicts Oklahoma Man for Role in Nationwide Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization
Defendant is Last of Seven Defendants Convicted in this Drug Trafficking Conspiracy
OKLAHOMA CITY – Last week, a federal jury convicted KE’ANDRE DEWAYNE WILSON, 25, of Oklahoma City, of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute or to distribute methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On May 18, 2021, a federal grand jury returned a 12-count Indictment against seven defendants, including Wilson, for their roles in a drug-trafficking organization (DTO). Wilson was charged with two counts: Count 1 alleged conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine and Count 2 alleged possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The trial began on August 8, 2023, and the jury returned its guilty verdict on August 10, 2023, after a few hours of deliberation.
According to evidence presented at trial, in June 2020, law enforcement began investigating Wilson and several other defendants for their role in a DTO which distributed methamphetamine throughout the United States. The DTO stored methamphetamine in various locations across Oklahoma City, including approximately 133 kilograms of methamphetamine at Low Life Body Shop located in southwest Oklahoma City. On April 28, 2021, Wilson and his co-defendants planned to transport approximately 100 kilograms of methamphetamine to Chicago. As Wilson and his co-defendants were preparing for the trip, law enforcement executed a search warrant and recovered the methamphetamine.
The jury convicted Wilson with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute or to distribute methamphetamine, as alleged in Count 1 of the Indictment. The jury acquitted Wilson on Count 2. At sentencing, Wilson faces up to life in federal prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
The other six defendants in the case have been previously sentenced to serve collectively more than 600 months of imprisonment:
Arnulfo Perez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine, and was sentenced to serve 180 months in prison.
Juan Benigno Vazquez Gonzalez pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, and to being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, and was sentenced to serve 168 months in prison.
Liliana Padron-Perez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine, and was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison.
Ramon Guadalupe Sanchez III pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine, and was sentenced to serve 84 months in prison.
Cesar Maximino Franco Morales pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine, and was sentenced to serve 36 months in prison.
Emily Rios pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises, and was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison.
Through the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 139 kilograms of methamphetamine, 11 firearms, and $6,000.00 in cash.
This case is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. It is also a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Anderson and Nick Coffey prosecuted the case.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.
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