A federal grand jury has indicted 17 people on drug-related crimes after a massive 13-month heroin investigation in Flower Mound.
Flower Mound police said the group's actions led to the fatal heroin overdoses of three teenagers within five months last year.
"Narcotics like this aren't always what you picture -- the back alley users," Capt. Wess Griffin said. "These were all young adults who were in middle-class or upper-middle-class homes."
Brett Okeefe, 18, and Harold Renz, 17, died in March 2010, and Justin Rodriguez, 19, died in July 2010. None of them were enrolled in public school at the time of their deaths.
Flower Mound police asked for help from the federal government after the deaths.
The federal grand jury indicted 12 people on Saturday, alleging they conspired to distribute more than 100 grams of heroin in the Flower Mound area. Most of the defendants are between 18 and 21 years old.
"The size of the case was a little bit surprising, but I think any community that is not aware that narcotics are present is not looking," Griffin said.
If convicted, the following people each face up to 40 years in federal prison:
- Sarah Hutcheson, 18, of Highland Village
- Nicholas A. Parker-Vanalstyne, 20, of Flower Mound
- Csaba Zoltan Bazsa, 19, of Lewisville
- Kevin Lee Oates, 38, of Irving
- Brendan Michael Jackson, 19, of Flower Mound
- Cody Ray Jones, 20, of Highland Village
- Jacob Andrew Haley, 20, of Corinth
- Matthew Curtis Anderson, 21, of Lewisville
- Anthony Edward Cathlina, 20, of Flower Mound
- Taylor Nicole Lane, 19, of Grapevine
- Travis Ryan Neel, 20, of Flower Mound
- Alexandre David Ward, 20, of Flower Mound
The investigation also led to additional indictments charging five people with gun and drug violations.
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Joseph Hoffman, 19, of Flower Mound, pleaded guilty on March 17 to possession with intent to distribute heroin which led to the death of an individual. He was indicted on Sept. 8, 2010.
Scott Schmalholz, 21, also of Flower Mound, pleaded guilty to transferring a firearm to Hoffman knowing it would be used during a drug-trafficking crime. Schmalholz was indicted on Nov. 10, 2010, and faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
Sentencing dates for Hoffman and Schmalholz have not been set.
Adam Michael Evans, 20, of Flower Mound, was indicted on Feb. 16 and charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Travis Clark Tucker, 23, of Denton, was indicted on March 10 and also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
If convicted, Evans and Tucker each face up to 10 years in federal prison.
James Riley Greenwood, 23, of Flower Mound, was indicted on Jan. 13 and charged with making false statements to federal agents. If convicted, he faces up to five years in federal prison.
The Flower Mound Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were all involved in the investigation.
NBC DFW's Ellen Goldberg contributed to this report.
