A federal jury convicted five people for their roles in operating a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that specialized in transporting liquid methamphetamine by semi truck from Mexico, through Texas, to Oklahoma City.
On April 18, 2025, a federal jury convicted the following five people after a nine-day trial, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Oklahoma:
- Juan Hernandez, 49: Money laundering conspiracy, three counts of domestic money laundering, and three counts of international money laundering
- Jessica Muniz, 32: Money laundering conspiracy, two counts of domestic money laundering, and five counts of international money laundering
- Denis Leal Gutierrez, 59: Drug conspiracy
- Cesar Azamar, 52: Drug conspiracy
- Adrian Narvaez, 58: Drug conspiracy
With these five convictions, a total of 18 people have been found guilty in connection with the operation of a DTO that officials say trafficked approximately 16,000 kilos of methamphetamine with an estimated street value of $64,000,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office describes how Gutierrez used trucking companies he owned to help carry out the drug trafficking conspiracy:
“According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants and other co-conspirators worked with high-ranking members of a Mexico-based DTO to import liquid methamphetamine into the U.S. hidden in the gas tanks of semi-trucks. Gutierrez’s trucking company, DGC Express Co., had been responsible for transporting shipments of liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma as far back as February 2021. Another trucking company owned by Gutierrez, Dare Express Co., assumed responsibility for transporting the liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and Georgia starting in at least May of 2023. Evidence at trial further showed that Azamar was responsible for facilitating the transfer of the liquid methamphetamine from the Mexico-based semi-truck into the Dare Express semi-truck, which first occurred at a property rented by Gutierrez in Alamo, Texas, and later at the main business location of Dare Express in Edinburg, Texas. The Dare Express semi-truck used throughout 2023 to deliver liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and Georgia was registered under Narvaez’s name, and both Gutierrez and Narvaez instructed the truck drivers to deliver this liquid methamphetamine to Oklahoma and elsewhere.“
The following large drug seizures were associated with this DTO, officials say:
- 907 kilograms on March 3, 2021, in Tecumseh, Oklahoma
- 92 kilograms on September 6, 2023, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- 615 kilograms on December 8, 2023, in Wellston, Oklahoma
- 42 kilograms on April 1, 2024, in Tecumseh, Oklahoma
- 86 kilograms on April 2, 2024, in Newalla, Oklahoma.
Gutierrez, Azamar, and Narvaez each face up to life in federal prison and a fine of up to $10,000,000. Hernandez and Muniz face up to 20 years in federal prison and fines of up to $500,000 per charge.
“Coordinating their drug trafficking scheme across international borders and state lines, these defendants flooded our state with methamphetamine worth millions of dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. “I praise the exceptional work of the federal and state law enforcement, and the federal prosecutors, for untangling and disrupting this major drug operation and for stopping its flow of lethal drugs into our communities.”
“This multi-year collaboration among the FBI, DEA, IRS, Oklahoma City Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office has effectively dismantled a major drug trafficking organization that had been poisoning our community with deadly narcotics for years,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater. “Together, we will continue to ensure those who participate in these dangerous criminal networks face the full weight of the American justice system.”
