A federal jury this month found two Dallas men guilty of running a so-called "trap house" in East Dallas and using it as a base to move heroin, crack cocaine, and fentanyl-laced heroin across North Texas. Prosecutors say drugs tied to the operation were linked to a fatal fentanyl overdose in Lewisville. The verdict capped a six-day federal trial.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Texas, Corey Buchea Grant, 31, and Calvin Autae Thompson, 36, were convicted on Nov. 3 of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and crack cocaine after a six-day trial before U.S. District Judge Sean D. Jordan. The office said the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Heather Rattan and Eric Erlandson and that both men face a statutory maximum of life in federal prison. A sentencing hearing will be set once a presentence investigation is completed.
As reported by FOX 4, prosecutors argued that Thompson managed the East Dallas trap house where Grant worked, and that the two sold heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin laced with fentanyl. Authorities believe drugs supplied by the pair were responsible for a deadly overdose in Lewisville. The case was filed as part of a broader Department of Justice effort targeting transnational criminal organizations.
How Prosecutors Built Their Case
The government leaned heavily on digital trails and insider testimony. As outlined by the U.S. Attorney's Office, prosecutors presented cell phone messages, social media communications, cell phone location data, financial records, and testimony from cooperating defendants to link sales at the East Dallas house to broader distribution across the Eastern District of Texas. That mix of digital and testimonial evidence formed the backbone of the six-day presentation to jurors.
Trap Houses And Local Enforcement
Trap houses, residences used as street-level hubs for illegal drug sales, have become familiar targets for Dallas narcotics teams as fentanyl has surged through the region. Reporting from The Dallas Morning News describes how detectives routinely execute search warrants at these locations and frequently find fentanyl-laced pills alongside heroin and other drugs.
Legal Stakes And What Comes Next
Both men will be sentenced by a federal judge after the U.S. Probation Office completes a presentence investigation, and their punishment will be shaped by advisory guidelines and statutory factors. Under federal sentencing guidance, trafficking offenses can carry life terms in cases involving a death or certain drug quantity thresholds, according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission. Local coverage from FOX 4 notes the prosecution was brought under a federal initiative dubbed "Operation Take Back America" and that sentencing dates will be set after the presentence reports are finished.
What Investigators Say
Investigators described the case as a multi-agency effort that pulled in both federal and local partners. Prosecutors say the conviction is part of a wider push to dismantle distribution hubs feeding North Texas' fentanyl crisis. Sentencing dates for Grant and Thompson have not yet been scheduled; the court is expected to set hearings once the presentence investigation is complete.
