Harrison County Meth Dealer Sentenced to Decade in Federal Prison

 Prosecution Comes as Part of “Operation Pine Curtain,” a Multiagency Effort of Federal, State, and Local Law Enforcement

MARSHALL, Texas – A Marshall, Texas, man was sentenced to federal prison today for drug trafficking crimes in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Fernie Moreno, 35, pleaded guilty on Nov. 23, 2020, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap.

“Drug traffickers who ply their deadly wares in our communities will be met with harsh consequences,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.  “EDTX, along with its law enforcement partners, will do whatever it takes to ensure that Harrison County is kept safe and drug free.”               

According to information presented in court, Moreno was a member of a criminal organization responsible for selling large quantities of methamphetamine in Marshall.  Moreno and eight others were indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 19, 2020, with five of these co-defendants already having been sentenced for their roles in the criminal conspiracy. Danny Brian Hernandez was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison, while Ronald Charles Parker received 14 years, Armando Ivan De La Torre received 16 years, Daniel Ramirez received 10 years, and Martin Lopez received 10 years.  Pursuant to Operation Pine Curtain, numerous other co-conspirators have been arrested and are awaiting dispositions in their respective cases.

Operation Pine Curtain is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office; and the Marshall Police Department.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.