Dominican man sentenced to 10 years for role in large-scale drug trafficking conspiracy

GALVESTON, Texas — A 44-year-old Dominican man who lives in Houston was sentenced Aug. 15 to serve 10 years in federal prison for his role in a large drug trafficking conspiracy.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Galveston and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation that led to the conviction.

Emilio Ramon Torres was sentenced in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 5 or more kilograms of cocaine and 1 or more kilograms of heroin, as well as possession with intent to distribute 16 kilograms of cocaine. A federal jury convicted Torres following an 11-day trial in August 2022.

The investigation focused upon a group of distributors and their associates, primarily citizens of the Dominican Republic, who used common sources of drugs in Mexico to supply their customers in numerous states outside Texas. The group sold cocaine and heroin throughout the United States, but operated out of the Houston area.

Torres worked within the drug trafficking organization by stashing cocaine at his apartment in Houston. He received shipments of cocaine and held them at his residence until instructed how much to make available for delivery to customers.

The defense attempted to convince the jury that Torres was an honest person who would not engage in drug distribution. The jury did not believe those claims and found Torres guilty as charged.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Houston Police Department assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Cusick is prosecuting the case.

For more news and information on HSI’s efforts to aggressively investigate illicit drug trafficking in Southeast Texas follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, @HSIHouston.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.