Another Large Federal Drug Indictment in Galveston

A sprawling new federal drug indictment has been filed in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas. The indictment lists 41 Defendants charged with  federal drug and money laundering crimes. The Defendants are alleged to be associated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG). According to the indictment, the Defendants distributed fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine across multiple states. The case is assigned to Judge Jeffrey V. Brown in Galveston.

Large Federal Drug Indictments are Popular in Galveston

The Galveston Division is no stranger to large federal drug indictments. There have been at least three large federal drug indictments filed there in recent years. And the Houston Division has seen its fair share of recent large federal drug indictments as well. This is a popular trend in Houston-Galveston. But it is a bad trend that does not favor the defense. Nor does it do anything for efficient administration of the cases. 

I've been fortunate (or unfortunate) to have been a part of almost all of the recent large drug indictments in Galveston and Houston. Having one large federal drug indictment is a logistical nightmare. The cases become too cumbersome and Judges do not seem to appreciate them. The cases linger for years and the discovery almost never ends. In the end, these indictments favor the prosecution because people are most likely to immediately cooperate to get the best deal.

Judge Brown is Up to the Task

The Galveston Division has one District Judge and he has experience in handling complex cases. Indeed, Judge Brown presided over a multi-defendant trial that lasted over two weeks. Having read the transcript of the entire trial, there is no doubt that Judge Brown can handle a case of this magnitude. 

From my experience, Judge Brown will give you enough time to prepare and won't push a case to trial if the Defendant is not ready. He has, in my opinion, the best staff in the Southern District. I enjoy defending cases in his court. 

We are adjourned until next week.