A Houston man has been handed a sentence of ten years for his role in a conspiracy to distribute large amounts of methamphetamine. Leonel Gonzalez, 41, received the sentence after his previous plea of guilty to charges related to meth distribution in the Eastern District of Louisiana. He also faces five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
As the court documents highlight, between May 25 and July 2 in 2020, Gonzalez was involved in distributing kilogram quantities of methamphetamine. These drugs were then redistributed within the Eastern District of Louisiana. Gonzalez's activities were part of a larger operation, implicating the complex networks that feed the ongoing drug crisis in the region.
The investigation that led to Gonzalez's conviction was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Federal agencies play an important role in dismantling these networks and in efforts to reduce the flow of illegal drugs.
Assistant United States Attorney André Jones from the Narcotics Unit managed the prosecution. The sentence imposed by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo reflects the seriousness of the charge—conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. This quantity indicates a large-scale operation rather than just street-level distribution.
