Three Texas Men Indicted for Possessing More Than 100 Pounds of Cocaine

A federal grand jury in Cleveland returned a one-count indictment charging three Texas men with possession with the intent to distribute approximately 51 kilograms of cocaine, said Steven M. Dettelbach, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
Indicted are Guadalupe J. Zarate, age 42, of Penitas, Texas; Jesus Alberto Flores, age 25, of Pharr, Texas; and Noe Romero Salinas, age 32, of Rio Grande, Texas.
The men were in possession of the drugs in the Northern District of Ohio on April 4, 2014, according to the indictment.
If convicted, a defendant’s sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any; the defendant’s role in the offense; and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.
The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Akron Police Department, the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and the Akron-Summit County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) initiative. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samuel A. Yannucci.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.