Four indicted on charges of plotting to kill DEA officer in North Texas for $20,000
A federal grand jury has indicted four people accused of plotting to kill a Drug Enforcement Administration task force officer in North Texas for $20,000.
Manuel Garcia Gomez, 22, is accused of making the threat in June while he was being held in the Johnson County Jail on a drug charge.
He offered $5,000 up front and $15,000 following the hit, according to federal court records.
Jorge Humberto Velazco Larios, 27, who was also in the Johnson County Jail on a drug charge in June, also is accused plotting to kill the agent. They remained in federal custody on Wednesday.
Two others, Eva Denisse Gomez Garcia, 38, and Alicia Yuritzi Juarez Martinez, 31, are accused rounding up the money for the hit. Garcia and Martinez remained on the run Wednesday and federal authorities believe they are in Mexico.
“The Justice Department will not stand for retaliatory violence against officers and agents, “ U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox said in a Wednesday news release. “These defendants were plotting to murder a federal task force officer-a man who routinely risks his life to combat the scourge of drugs in our community. We are grateful to our partners at the DEA and FBI who worked tirelessly to keep the officer safe and help bring his would-be killers to justice.”
All were indicted on charges of intestate commerce in the commission of murder-to-hire.
If convicted, they each face a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Federal authorities did not provide any information on how agents discovered the murder-for-hire plot.
A federal criminal complaint written by a DEA agent gave this account of the drug arrest on Larios and Gomez:
A federal task force began investigating a drug trafficking group responsible for acquiring wholesale quantities of methamphetamine from sources in Mexico and then processing it for distribution in the Dallas area.
Agents learned Larios and Gomez received liquid and powder amphetamine, and oversaw its conversion to its crystal form, according to the complaint.
Officers also determined that Gomez and Larios lived most of the time at a home in Red Oak and the residence was a clandestine laboratory.
On May 19, agents raided the Red Oak home, finding Gomez sitting on a lawn chair on a back porch and Larios standing in the kitchen. Gomez and Larios were arrested.
Shortly after their arrest, Gomez and Larios were then taken to the Johnson County Jail in Cleburne and held without bond. They were indicted on June 2 on federal charges of distribution of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Beginning May 29 and continuing for several days, Gomez had multiple conversations from jail with another person about wanting to hire someone to kill the DEA agent in his methamphetamine case, according to a federal indictment.
Gomez recruited his girlfriend, Alicia Yuritzi Juarez Martinez, and his sister, Eva Denisse Gomez Garcia, to arrange for delivery of the fee, according to court records. Gomez also said his co-defendant, Larios, would contribute to the payment.
“Drug trafficking is inherently violent and traffickers will stop at nothing to protect their profits and their lifestyle,” said Eduardo A. Chavez, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Dallas Field Division in a news release.
On June 11, an unindicted co-conspirator referred to in court documents by the nickname, “Roberto” made a $3,000 “down payment” for the murder of the agent. A few days later, he made an additional $2,000 payment on behalf of Gomez and Larios.
Gomez later called his contact and instructed that person to call Martinez and Garcia. He said they would have documents that could help the hit man figure out the name of the target. Gomez said the women could be trusted because they were “badasses” who “know everything that is going on,” according to the indictment.
Garcia later received a photo of DEA task force officer “T.H.” via the messaging app WhatsApp. The next day, she flashed the image during a jailhouse video call with Gomez, who said, “Yes, that’s him.”
He smiled as he said that, according to court documents.
This story was originally published July 15, 2020 at 11:58 AM.
