A Project Safe Neighborhoods - Amarillo Taskforce arrested four defendants while executing search warrants at two North Heights area crack houses, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Erin Nealy Cox.
All defendants have been charged via criminal complaint with distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine or cocaine base, and all remain in federal custody pending trial.
Among those arrested during the PSN - Amarillo raid was Earnest Tywane Drone, 39, a well-known dealer who allegedly sold cocaine to a confidential government source last month. Other defendants include: Joseph Dean Taylor, Treson Blake Fugit, and Trevon Montel Monroe.
Officers recovered crack cocaine, marijuana, and a pistol with ammunition during the raids, which occurred late last month.
The Project Safe Neighborhoods - Amarillo initiative – a coalition of federal and local law enforcement focused on a high-crime hotspot in Amarillo – uses a three-pronged approach that combines traditional enforcement with community outreach and recidivism reduction to drive down violent crime.
Criminal charges are merely an allegations of wrongdoing, not evidence. All defendants in this case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The joint operation was conducted by Amarillo DPS – Criminal Investigation Division, Amarillo DPS – Texas Highway Patrol, Amarillo DPS Air-Wing, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Amarillo Police Department, the U.S. Marshals’ North Texas Fugitive Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Randall County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Josh Frausto and Sean Taylor are prosecuting the case.
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