A federal grand jury has indicted EDUARDO VILLA-ALVAREZ, 22, JOSE MANUEL SOTO-OCHOA, 22, and KRISTNADEVY MENDOZA-ZAMBRANO, 22, with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On March 19, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against Villa-Alvarez, Soto-Ochoa, and Mendoza-Zambrano. Count One charges all three defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine from November 2018 through March 7, 2019.
Count Two charges Villa-Alvarez and Soto-Ochoa with possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on March 7, 2019, in Oklahoma City. Count Three charges Mendoza-Zambrano with possession with intent to distribute on March 7, 2019, in Garvin County, Oklahoma. Count Four charges Villa-Alvarez with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime related to the charge in Count Two.
If convicted on Counts One, Two, or Three, each defendant could be imprisoned for life and fined up to $10,000,000. A conviction on any of these counts would also result in a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison. If convicted on Count Four, Villa-Alvarez could be imprisoned for life and fined up to $250,000. A conviction on Count Four would also result in a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, to be served consecutively to any other term of imprisonment imposed in this case.
This indictment follows a criminal complaint filed in federal court on March 8, 2019. According to an affidavit filed in federal court in support of that complaint, law enforcement stopped a maroon Ford Escape with Oklahoma plates on March 7 south of Oklahoma City, between Purcell and Pauls Valley. The vehicle had been the subject of a judicially-approved tracking device and was traveling from the area of Mesquite, Texas. Defendant Mendoza-Zambrano is alleged to have been driving the vehicle. According to the complaint, a search yielded approximately 77 liters (20 gallons) of liquid methamphetamine.
That same day, agents and officers with the DEA’s North Texas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program ("HIDTA") executed a search warrant at a residence in south Oklahoma City. According to the complaint, Villa-Alvarez and Soto-Ochoa were the only occupants of the residence. Law enforcement is alleged to have observed Soto-Ochoa placing in the back of a black Ford Escape a box with baggies containing a white substance.
They also are alleged to have observed Villa-Alvarez and Soto-Ochoa using a broom and dust pan to sweep up a white substance. According to the complaint, when investigators approached Villa-Alvarez, he attempted to flee and tossed a firearm near the back yard. Investigators seized from the residence and the vehicle more than 25 kilograms (approximately 55 pounds) of a white crystal substance that tested positive for methamphetamine and more than 30 liters (approximately eight gallons) of suspected liquid methamphetamine. The complaint states investigators believe Mendoza-Zambrano was working with Villa-Alvarez and Soto-Ochoa.
These charges are the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, including the North Texas HIDTA, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, the El Reno Police Department, and the District 21 Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Anderson is prosecuting the case.
The public is reminded that these charges are merely allegations and that each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Reference is made to public filings for further information.
