MIDLAND A San Antonio man was sentenced in federal court Friday to 181 months in prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution ring in Midland, the Department of Justice announced via press release.
According to court documents, Jimmy Dwayne Smith, 42, and a co-conspirator, Vanessa Elfreda Flores, 40, had been distributing methamphetamine in the Midland area in June 2022. Detectives conducted several controlled purchases of the drug from both Smith and Flores and, in July 2022, obtained search warrants for Smith’s motel room and Flores’s apartment.
Through those warrants, the detectives recovered six firearms, including several loaded with extended magazines; thousands of dollars; methamphetamine; and other drug paraphernalia. Smith was arrested on July 21, 2022 and has remained in federal custody since the arrest.
Smith and Flores each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Smith also pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Flores was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison on Dec. 7, 2022. A third defendant, Brook Clayton Aslin, 40, of Midland, whom Flores had supplied with methamphetamine and who had distributed more than one kilogram of methamphetamine from January to June 2022, was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison on Jan. 5, 2023.
“Methamphetamine is an extremely dangerous drug that continues to plague our Texas communities,” U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas said in the press release. “Our office makes it a priority to disrupt the operations of those who traffic in this poison, and I thank our local law enforcement partners for also prioritizing anti-drug trafficking, helping us bring violators to justice.”
The Midland Police Department Narcotics Unit investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Mahoney prosecuted the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Tindall handling the forfeiture component.
