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FBI: Drug Trafficking
Aryan Brotherhood
Methamphetamine Operation Dismantled
When a federal judge recently sentenced the last two of 34 Aryan
Brotherhood of Texas gang members to prison for their roles in a
methamphetamine drug distribution network, it marked the end of the
gang’s foothold in Central Texas—and also highlighted the extraordinary
partnership between local, state, and federal law enforcement that
brought the criminals to justice.
Methamphetamine—also known as “meth” and “ice” because it is usually
sold in crystallized form—can devastate communities. In a
60-square-mile area of rural Central Texas where the Aryan Brotherhood
gang was selling as much as four kilos of the drug each month, meth was
taking a toll.
“The area was being tormented,” said Special Agent Dan Snow, who
supervises a violent gangs and criminal enterprise squad in the FBI’s
San Antonio Division. “When you’re addicted to meth, you will steal
anything that’s not bolted down to get money to feed your habit.”
In multiple Central Texas counties near Waco and Fort Hood, crime was
spiking—burglaries, property crimes, arsons, assaults, firearms thefts,
even homicides—and when local authorities compared notes, they realized
that a significant part of the crime problem resulted from the meth
trade.
In late 2013, the FBI participated in a meeting with the Texas
Department of Public Safety, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and local
police departments. “We were hearing from our local counterparts about
the issues related to the Aryan Brotherhood,” said Special Agent Dan
Tichenor, who investigated the case from the FBI’s regional office in
Waco. “From the outset, this investigation was a true partnership
between local, state, and federal agencies.”
Through good police work, approximately 30 Aryan Brotherhood gang
members central to the drug distribution operation were identified.
“The main targets intentionally lived in very rural areas,” Tichenor
said, “so law enforcement couldn’t do drive-bys of their houses or
conduct surveillance. For a time,” he explained, “they were operating
under the radar.”
During the course of the three-year investigation, the FBI developed
confidential sources and administered court-ordered wire taps.
Controlled drug buys were made, and evidence was compiled against the
gang members. Eventually, investigators learned the source of the
gang’s cartel-affiliated supplier in Dallas.
In September 2014, 20 members of the gang were arrested and charged
with drug distribution related to the methamphetamine operation. Since
then, all 34 Aryan Brotherhood of Texas members who have been charged
and convicted for their roles in the drug network are now serving time
in federal prison. On December 9, 2015, Chris Voerhis, 51, was
sentenced to 14 years in prison, and Derrick Cooper, 35, received a
seven-year term.
“We dismantled their entire organization, from the leadership to
suppliers to distributors,” Tichenor said. “This case has had a big
impact on the community,” he added. “Local police departments reported
a significant drop in crime—especially property crimes—after the drug
operation was stopped.”
At the time of Voerhis’ and Cooper’s sentencings, Special Agent in
Charge Christopher Combs of the San Antonio Field Office noted that
“these sentences resulted from unprecedented collaboration of federal,
state, and local law enforcement.” He added, “This effort not only
exemplifies our commitment to prevent gang violence and criminal
activity from poisoning our communities, it sends a clear message that
we will relentlessly pursue and prosecute the leaders and members of
these violent criminal enterprises regardless of where they lay their
heads.”
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