Duncanville and other local police help in DEA drug bust

by Danielle Parker of Duncanville TODAY

Members of the Cedar Hill, DeSoto, and Grand Prairie police departments also participated in the operation.

Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville and Grand Prairie police departments made local arrests Sept. 16 as part of a major federal Drug Enforcement Agency operation against members of Mexico's Gulf Cartel.

The arrests were part of the DEA's ongoing Project Reckoning.

Per the DEA, the Gulf Cartel is responsible for the transportation of multi-ton quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana from Colombia, Guatemala, Panama and Mexico to the United States, as well as the distribution of those narcotics within the United States.

The Department of Justice's Northern District of Texas said 22 people associated with the Gulf Cartel were arrested Sept. 16. Additionally, law enforcement officers executed several search warrants at various locations in North Texas which resulted in the seizure of more than $1 million in cash, about 300 kilograms of cocaine, about 400 pounds of methamphetamine, also known as "ice" or "crystal meth," and also some 20 weapons and various explosive devices.

In the Northern District of Texas, as part of Project Reckoning, DEA led "Operation Dos Equis," an investigation that focused on a Mexican cocaine distribution organization, and "Operation Vertigo," an investigation into a methamphetamine distribution organization that operated throughout the U.S.

Local people arrested in Operation Dos Equis include Tarus Shaynard Murray, aka "T," 31, of Grand Prairie. Five defendants remain fugitives.

In Operation Vertigo, 11 defendants were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Three defendants, Angel Hernandez, Ana Cornelio and Israel Vasquez, are also each charged with one count of money laundering and named in the forfeiture allegation which would require them, upon conviction, to forfeit residences located at 5318 Duncanville Road, in Duncanville and 101 Charles Street, in DeSoto. The defendants arrested in Operation Vertigo include:

1. Angel Hernandez, 34, of DeSoto;

2. Ana Cornelio, 40, of Duncanville;

3. Israel Vasquez, 38, of Cedar Hill;

4. Juan Chavez, 41, of Duncanville;

5. Irving Cornelio Reynoso, 19, of Duncanville;

6. Darren Price, 48, of Cedar Hill.

Defendant Jose Juan Hernandez, age 38, of DeSoto, is presently in custody in California.

In addition to the DEA, the Grand Prairie Police Department was among agencies participating in the investigation. Other law enforcement assisting with the arrests included the Cedar Hill Police Department, Duncanville Police Department and Ellis County Sheriff's Office.