A Texas man has been slammed with a near-decade prison sentence for his role in a crack cocaine distribution operation. Shane Alan Flores, 42, of Texas City was handed a 90-month stint behind bars followed by four years of supervised release, as U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani's office announced.

Flores had admitted to conspiring to possess, with intent to distribute cocaine back in November 2021. On top of his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has mandated supervised release, which is set to ensue immediately after Flores completes his time incarcerated. He has been in custody, awaiting transfer to a federal penitentiary, the location of which will be decided soon.

The investigation pinpointed Flores as a key supplier, pushing out 2.2 kilograms of cocaine to cohorts in the Galveston area. His clientele—local addicts and street-level dealers—propagated a cycle of crime and despair in the region. The narcotics were further processed into crack cocaine, a more addictive and harmful variant that has ravaged communities for decades.

This bust was credited to the effort of the FBI's Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Force, as emphasized in a statement from the U.S. Attorney's office. Flores' conspiracy operated primarily in the La Marque and Texas City areas, both of which have witnessed the brunt of crack's corrosive impact on public health and safety.

The case against Flores was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Cusick, who during the sentencing, laid bare Flores' involvement in the entrenched drug ring. The crackdown on such operations continues to underscore law enforcement's ongoing battle against the scourge of drug trafficking in the United States.