Dallas man was caught dealing methamphetamine from his business. Now he will spend the rest of his life in prison
Dallas, Texas – In a resounding blow against illicit drug trafficking, notorious Dallas-based narcotics ringleader Marco Antonio Gonzalez, infamously known as “Speedy,” has been awarded life imprisonment for orchestrating a sophisticated methamphetamine trafficking operation under the guise of an automobile dealership.
Leigha Simonton, the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, made the official announcement following the delivery of the sentence. The judgement was handed down by U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr, concluding an intricate and protracted trial process.
The trial about the Dallas man used his business to deal meth took place late in 2021
In December of 2021, after an intensive four-day judicial examination, a federal jury deemed Gonzalez guilty on multiple counts: conspiring to possess and distribute a controlled substance, possessing with intent to distribute said substance, and unlawful possession of a firearm by an individual with a felony record.
The trial unfurled evidence that implicated Gonzalez with the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). The vehicle dealership, Hampton Motors, was reportedly leveraged as a fulcrum for his illicit operations. Testimonies and physical evidence showed that the dealership served as a warehouse for the narcotics and a financial laundry, obscuring the origins of their income through vehicle purchases.
In addition, Gonzalez and his cadre were linked to methamphetamine laboratories discreetly nestled within residential homes across Dallas and DeSoto. Here, the drug underwent recrystallization, with firearms routinely found at these locations. Agents testified that the cartel was responsible for disseminating thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine using this subterfuge.
Marco Antonio Gonzalez threatened one of his co-conspirators to not testify against him
During the trial, it came to light that Gonzalez had resorted to intimidation, threatening a co-conspirator set to testify against him. Nonetheless, the co-conspirator testified, revealing Gonzalez’s car dealership’s illicit function as a front for large-scale drug transactions. Further unsettling revelations disclosed Gonzalez’s violent tendencies, including an attack on a fellow inmate he suspected would testify, and the passing of a note perceived as a threat against federal agents.
These disconcerting acts were deliberated during the sentencing, with Judge Starr referring to them as justification for the life sentence bestowed upon Gonzalez.
Ten of Gonzalez’s co-conspirators entered guilty please
Preceding Gonzalez’s trial, ten of his fellow conspirators had already entered guilty pleas, accentuating the case’s gravity.
The successful culmination of this case was the result of a collaborative investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division, the Dallas Police Department, the Garland Police Department, and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution was adeptly managed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys P.J. Meitl and John Kull.
Recent Crime and Safety news from Dallas-Fort Worth area:
Dallas Police are investigating the death of a 39-year-old who died while in custody
Dallas man is facing murder charges for deadly shooting incident that stemmed from an altercation
Elderly man died in hospital following traffic incident in Arlington on Sunday
Late Wednesday night shooting in Fort Worth fatal for one person, three victims injured
Dallas man arrested out of state weeks after he removed his ankle monitor just before his trial
