By Nataly Keomoungkhoun
An associate of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel faces life in prison after a federal jury found him guilty of trafficking methamphetamine through his Dallas car dealership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced Friday.
Marco Antonio Gonzalez, 42, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Gonzalez, who called himself “Speedy,” was dealing meth out of Hampton Motors, a car dealership on Hampton Road just south of Clarendon Drive in west Oak Cliff, the U.S. attorney’s office said. It’s unclear how long he had been dealing narcotics.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Gonzalez and other conspirators stored drugs at Hampton Motors and used proceeds from drug sales to buy vehicles as a way to disguise the ruse. Homes in Dallas and DeSoto were also used as meth labs, the office said.
During his trial, prosecutors said Gonzalez threatened to kill one conspirator who was set to testify against him. The man later testified anyway and confirmed that Gonzalez used his dealership as a cover-up for his meth operation.
Ten other conspirators entered guilty pleas prior to the trial, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Dallas Field Division and Dallas police with help from Garland police and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office.
