Category Archives: Trafficking Charges
Grand Theft Auto, Carjacking, Joy Rides, and Car Theft Rings: Felony or Misdemeanor in Texas
Several months ago, the Dallas Police Department released a list of the most popular motor vehicles to be stolen in Texas. Apparently, the following ten models of cars and trucks are most likely to be taken by thieves: Ford Pick Up Chevrolet Pick Up Dodge Pick Up Chevrolet Tahoe Honda Civic Honda Accord GMC Pick…
What are Racketeering Charges? Organized Crime, Gangs and Cartels, and Overcharging RICO
Most people think of movies like “The Untouchables” or “the Godfather” when asked about “racketeering” charges and arrests on R.I.C.O. violations. Makes sense; RICO was designed to combat “organized crime” in this country, and as a general rule that has meant the Mafia. The Cosa Nostra was its original target. RICO Act: Racketeering Charges Expand…
New 2017 Federal Drug Policy from Attorney General Jeff Sessions
Last week, the Attorney General of the United States sent a memo to all the Offices of the U.S. Attorney General around the country, including the one overseeing the Northern District of Texas that prosecutes federal crimes here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. It’s a big deal for anyone facing criminal charges here in Texas,…
Heroin Moves Through Dallas: Drug Cartel Distribution Routes
This week, there was a lot of news coverage over a big FBI sting where 46 federal indictments were issued across the country, charging people with smuggling drugs like heroin and cocaine on planes. Some got charged with other things, too, like money laundering — but the big deal here in Dallas was that most…
Drug Cartels in North Texas: Big Business and Felony Crimes
In Dallas and Fort Worth, as well as the surrounding area here in North Texas, illegal drugs are a big (very big) business. Criminal defense lawyers here as well as police and prosecutors in both the state and federal systems understand in ways that the general public does not about the commercial success of selling…
Major Changes to Federal Drug Crime Sentencing Guidelines Underway: DOJ’s Holder Helps Federal Criminal Defense Lawyers Get Lower Sentences for Drug Defendants
In 1986, Congress passed the Anti-Drug Abuse Act (”ADAA”) which formed a two level (aka two-tiered) formula for use in federal sentencing of certain kinds of drug traffickers. This was the first federal legislation passed as part of the “War on Drugs” (there were others, e.g., the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010). In the ADAA,…
Carson County Felony Money Laundering Case Reduce to Misdemeanor Money Returned
Mr. Lowe’s client was arrested driving slightly over the speed limit westbound on Highway I-40 near Panhandle, Texas in Carson County. The local DPS trooper stopped him for speeding. It is well known that DPS troopers in this area are highly trained in drugs, narcotics, money laundering and weapons interdiction. Based on Mr. Lowe’s experience…
Dallas is a Marijuana Marketplace: Another Federal Marijuana Trafficking Bust as US Attorney John Bales Announces $1.7 Cash Seized, 17 People Arrested
This week, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas John M. Bales announced to the media that federal authorities have taken possession of almost two million dollars in cash ($1.7 million) as well as arresting seventeen (17) people in a big sting operation operated by the Texas Department of Public Safety (leading agency)…
