Following a significant law enforcement crackdown in Texas this week, 23 individuals are facing federal charges for their roles in drug trafficking, firearms offenses, and money laundering. The operations, carried out in Houston, Galveston, and Rio Grande Valley, were announced by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Texas. Arrests saw some suspects making court appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judges Christina Bryan, Andrew Edison, and Nadia Medrano, while others await their day in court pending transfers from state custody.
The operation leading to the arrests stemmed from grand jury indictments returned in May 2025. According to the charges, criminal activities date back to January 2023 and continued through December 2024. It involved a sophisticated web of illicit transactions encompassing cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine distribution, and illegal firearms trading. In a statement made by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, some of those indicted were alleged to be truck drivers ferrying drugs northward, and had reportedly transported 10 kilograms of cocaine to Georgia, with funds being funneled back to cover expenses and compensate collaborators.
The extensive multi-agency effort behind these arrests involved the Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, among others. The operations, known as Operation Red Ranger, Borrowed Time, and Resurrection, were successful in seizing substantial quantities of illegal substances and paraphernalia. Law enforcement reported confiscating over 170 kilograms of cocaine and heroin, more than 2000 kilograms of methamphetamine, in excess of 100 firearms, close to $3 million in cash, and property assets valued at around $1.2 million…