Seven alleged drug dealers were arrested in a Texas Anti-Gang Center takedown in Dallas on Wednesday, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.
Brandon Jones, Jaleel Peterson, Victor Contreras, Glenn Blair, Corey Allen, Derrick Richardson, and Antonie Thompson-Stevens were charged via criminal complaint with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. They made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Renee Harris Toliver on Friday.
According to the complaint, a source told law enforcement that members of the conspiracy were operating a so-called “trap room,” or narcotics distribution room, out of a motel in Las Colinas. At the direction of law enforcement, the source made three controlled drug buys inside the room.
Law enforcement then identified a second motel room being operated as a trap room. They used another source to make four controlled purchase inside the room.
On April 19, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the motel rooms in question. As officers made their entry, a firearm was thrown out the window. Two defendants, Brandon Jones and Jaleel Peterson, attempted to flee through a back window but were apprehended by police. Mr. Jones was carrying a handgun and a small baggie of crack cocaine when he was arrested. Three more defendants, Victor Contreras, Derrick Richardson, and Antonie Thompson-Stevens, were apprehended inside the rooms, and one, Glenn Blair, was taken into custody nearby.
From the first room, room 111, officers seized 85.3 grams of heroin, 1949.5 grams methamphetamine, 114.7 grams cocaine, 2.6 grams suspected PCP, 60 grams fentanyl,15.8 grams Alprazolam, 142 grams suspected methamphetamine tablets, 44 grams marijuana, 643.8 grams THC products, 2.3 grams white powder, 2.3 grams THC pills, 23.4 grams hydrocodone, 21.5 grams Omeprazole, 28 grams Sertraline, and four firearms. From the second room, they seized 1139.1 grams of marijuana, 44.8 grams psilocybin mushrooms, 113.1 grams heroin, 31.3 grams crack cocaine, 335.5 grams methamphetamine, 23.5 grams powder cocaine, 48.3 grams fentanyl, 6 grams morphine, two handguns, one rifle and a tactical ballistic vest. They also seized scales, packing, and equipment used to “cap” fentanyl powder into individual capsules sold to customers.
A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
If convicted, each faces between five and 40 years in federal prison.
The Texas Department of Public Safety’s Criminal Investigations Division, Texas Highway Patrol, and Special Response Team (SRT) and the Dallas Police Department’s Intelligence, Narcotics, Northwest Crime Response, and SWAT units conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rick Calvert is prosecuting the case.
This operation was coordinated through the Texas Anti-Gang Center. The TAG serves as the unified headquarters for an estimated 75 - 100 of the region’s most knowledgeable and experienced federal, state and local anti-gang investigators, analysts and prosecutors. The TAG is comprised of various law enforcement agencies and has implemented innovative approaches to fighting violent criminal gangs and transnational criminal organizations.
