A Dallas woman was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison for selling drugs out of a motel room.
U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr ordered 48-year-old Danette Ozuna to serve 151 months in federal prison on February 14 for one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, according to a news release from the U.S. District Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. Ozuna had pled guilty to felony drug charges in Kaufman County in 2014 and was previously sentenced to 10 years.
The latest investigation into Ozuna was opened in March 2022 by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department, and the Dallas Police Department after a tip was received that indicated she was selling drugs out of the Star Motel off the Central Expressway in District 7, which Council Member Adam Bazaldua represents.
Executing a warrant on Ozuna’s east Oak Cliff hotel room in May 2022, law enforcement agents found methamphetamine, a drug ledger, a handgun, $7,006 in cash, and a posted list of prices and rules for her customers.
“I have too much money out and I have my own Bills to pay!” she wrote, explaining, “what you have $ for is what you will get — ne [sic] extra, No fronts.”
Drug crime in Dallas has been on the rise, with a total of 1,330 drug offenses clocked so far this year as of February 15, according to data from the City’s crime analytics dashboard. Districts 2 and 6 — represented by Council Members Jesse Moreno and Omar Narvaez, respectively — lead in this type of criminality, with Bazaldua’s District 7 coming in third.
District 2 covers half of Downtown Dallas, where crime of all types has been rampant, especially compared to Fort Worth’s city center. Comparative studies from the Metroplex Civic & Business Association have shown that many more reports of motor vehicle thefts, assault offenses, drug violations, and car burglaries are logged in the former compared to the latter.
While Fort Worth patrols its downtown area with a dedicated police unit and private security officers, the City of Dallas opted to spend much less on law enforcement this year compared to other high-crime jurisdictions, such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Officials budgeted DPD $654 million, suggesting the department’s longstanding officer shortage will continue.
DPD fields around 3,000 officers even though the City has previously recommended a force of 4,000 based on Dallas’ population size.
