HOUSTON – A 37-year-old man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking operation that manufactured and distributed counterfeit pills laced with methamphetamine, federal authorities announced.
Marco Juarez, of Houston, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gray Miller to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty in June 2023. The counterfeit pills, made to resemble Adderall, were sold to customers who were unaware they contained meth, according to prosecutors.
Three co-conspirators, including the ring’s leader Alexander Fernandez, 33, have already been sentenced for their roles. Fernandez received a 20-year prison term, while Christopher Houser, 36, and Alexis Sandoval, 26, were sentenced to 36 months and 10 years, respectively. Authorities said Fernandez oversaw the operation’s logistics, Juarez supplied meth, Houser used pill presses to produce the counterfeit drugs, and Sandoval handled packaging and shipping orders placed on the dark web.
Federal investigators said the operation began in 2020 and involved the use of residential locations in Houston and Fulshear to manufacture and distribute the pills. Searches conducted at two Fulshear residences revealed over seven kilograms of crystal meth, along with additional meth in pill and powder form disguised as Adderall. Nearly five kilograms of counterfeit Adderall pills were found at another residence used for packaging and distribution.
“This case underscores the dangers of counterfeit pills, which may look legitimate but often contain lethal substances,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a statement. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officials noted that the traffickers exploited the dark web to operate anonymously but were ultimately exposed and brought to justice.
The counterfeit operation also produced “Alprazolam” pills containing Etizolam, a sedative drug not approved for use in the United States. Authorities say the drugs contributed to public health risks associated with the ongoing national drug crisis.
Juarez remains on bond and will surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons at a later date to begin serving his sentence.