U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston announced Friday that a Dallas man has been convicted of federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, according to a news release.
Eric R. Roberts was convicted of multiple federal violations, among them: continuing criminal enterprise, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
Roberts, 51, was indicted by a federal grand jury on April 15, 2021.
A jury found Roberts guilty following a 10-day trial before U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant, according to the release.
In the arrest, authorities seized 37 firearms, eight vehicles, and $436,295 in U.S. currency, all of which were subject to seizure as a result of the jury returning a verdict for criminal forfeiture.
The jury also found Roberts’ four co-defendants, Ronald Lewis McGuire, Lowell Eugene Sargent, Philip S. Lala, and Christopher Shaun Ragle, guilty of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The four men were a part of the drug operation Roberts was convicted of running, according to the release. Roberts was a leader of a large-scale national drug trafficking organization spanning several years, with McGuire, Sargent, Lala, and Ragle acting as drivers, according to information presented in court.
All five defendants were found to be individually responsible for 1,000 kilograms or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of marijuana.
Following a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office, a sentencing hearing will be scheduled for Roberts.
Roberts, a Dallas native, faces life in federal prison for the drug violation charges. Meanwhile, his hometown continues to suffer an epidemic of drug and other offenses as Dallas City Council fails to meaningfully address the proliferating issue.
In 2022, there were more than 8,700 drug-related crimes committed in Dallas, according to the city of Dallas Open Data Crime Analysis Dashboard.
