A total of 14 individuals are now in custody following a joint operation with DEA, Stephenville Police and the Erath County Sheriff’s Office.
The operation led to 20 indictments on conspiracy and drug trafficking charges outlined in a criminal indictment filed Oct. 2.
Defendants arrested Wednesday, Oct. 11, made their initial appearance Thursday, Oct. 12, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffery L. Cureton.
The indictment charges 20 defendants with conspiracy to possess a controlled substance (methamphetamine) with intent to distribute.
Fourteen of those defendants have been arrested in the operation, two are in custody at various locations on unrelated state charges, and four have not yet been arrested.
The investigation began in December of 2021 when the SPD and the ECSO began investigating the methamphetamine and heroin trafficking of the Dylan Wokaly Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) and identified numerous individuals distributing for, or obtaining methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl from, that DTO.
The investigation involved undercover purchases and search warrants, and throughout the investigation, substantial amounts of methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, and cash were seized from the DTO. Law enforcement learned that this DTO, based in and around Fort Worth, Texas, was allegedly responsible for distributing hundreds of multi kilogram quantities of methamphetamine in Tarrant County, Erath County, Parker County, Brown County and Coleman County.
In addition, law enforcement has dismantled several of the DTO’s suppliers, and it continues to investigate others that remain in operation.
A federal criminal indictment is a written statement of the essential facts of the offense charged. A defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty. The statutory penalty, upon conviction, for the offense charged is not less than five years or more than 40 years in prison and a $5 million fine. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith.