MUSKOGEE – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced last week that Rito Alvarado-Gomez, age 36, of Hope, Arkansas, Jose Alberto Alvarado-Gomez, age 33, of Hope, Arkansas, Ricardo Villeda, age 25, of Little Rock, Arkansas, Iris Yoselin Luna-Herrera, age 26, of Hope, Arkansas, and Ana Isabel Frayre Barboza, age 37, of Hope, Arkansas, were each indicted for Drug Conspiracy.

In addition to the Drug Conspiracy charges, Rito, Jose, Ricardo and Iris are charged with Distribution of Methamphetamine.

If convicted, defendants face mandatory minimum sentences of not less than 10 years imprisonment, and up to a $10,000,000 fine. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The Indictment alleges that beginning in 2018, and continuing until March 2024, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere, the defendants willfully and knowingly combined, conspired, confederated, and agreed together, and with others known and unknown to the Grand Jury, to commit offenses against the United States, namely the possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine.

The charges arose from a joint investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the 8th North Drug Task Force out of Hope, Arkansas, and the 9th West Drug Task Force out of Nashville, Arkansas.

Additionally, several law enforcement agencies contributed to this investigation, including the Arkansas State Police, the Hope Police Department, and the McCurtain County Sheriff ’s Office.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligencedriven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https:// www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

A grand jury Indictment does not constitute evidence of guilt. A grand jury Indictment is a method of bringing formal charges against the defendant. All defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and may not be found guilty unless evidence establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Cornell and Jordan Howanitz are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.