Four people, including two from Amarillo, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection to a conspiracy to deal firearms and traffic narcotics for a cartel.
On Tuesday, the Northern District of Texas announced that one of the four – 27-year-old Loyd Walter Hall of Amarillo – was indicted on 12 counts, including:
- Conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, identified as the Sinola Cartel.
- Conspiracy to distribute controlled substances for importation into the United States
- Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime
- Several counts of providing false material statements to a firearms dealer
- Conspiracy to straw purchase and traffic firearms.
“Every firearm trafficked from the United States to a cartel strengthens its ability to terrorize communities, secure drug operations, engage in corruption, and commit international fuel theft,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “This case highlights my office’s commitment to dismantling all the cartels’ criminal networks. We won’t stop until the cartels and those who aid and abet them are completely eradicated.”
Two others were charged on suspicion of conspiracy to straw purchase firearms and traffic firearms: Jesus Quezada Meza, 30, of Dumas and a Mexican national, and Omar Velasquez, 44, of Utah. The fourth person was identified as Catlynn Ann Townsend, 29, of Amarillo, charged on suspicion of making a false statement in required information kept by a licensed firearms dealer…