Nine Charged in Brownfield Drug Bust

Nine drug traffickers allegedly operating out of Brownfield, Texas and surrounding areas have been federally charged, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

The defendants were arrested Thursday in a takedown that involved officers and agents from the Brownfield Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration's Dallas Field Office - Lubbock Resident Agency, the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office, the Lubbock Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Homeland Security Investigations. They made their initial appearances Friday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda 'Amy' R. Burch.

"The success of this investigation highlights DEA's outstanding partnerships with federal, state, and local agencies in the Caprock area," said Special Agent in Charge, Eduardo A. Chavez. "DEA Lubbock and its counterparts will continue to bring violent drug traffickers to justice in small rural communities and large metropolitan areas alike."

"The Brownfield Police Department takes the health and safety of our community seriously. We will continue to do what is necessary to investigate, arrest, and prosecute those who distribute illegal narcotics on our streets and in our neighborhoods," said Brownfield Police Chief Chris Kotzur.

Those charged in six separate indictments include:

• Kirkland Ryan Longoria, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine
• Sandra Kay Cavazos, charged with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine
• Arthur Lee Willingham, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and felon in possession of a firearm
• Steven Blake Johnston, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine
• Steven Rene Rodriguez, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine
• Lorraine Riojas Davila, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine
• Dewayne Deshae Willis, charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine
• Larry Joe Franco, Jr., charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine
• Demetrick Ward, charged with distribution of cocaine

An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, some face potential life sentences in federal prison.

Brownfield Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration's Dallas Field Office - Lubbock Resident Agency, the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office, the Lubbock Police Department, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Rancourt and Sean Long are prosecuting the cases.