Feds say 8 who 'long vexed' Lubbock arrested after multi-agency investigation

Eight people, including an alleged marijuana trafficker accused of threatening off-duty game wardens with a gun during a fit of road rage, were described by law enforcement officials as menaces to the community after they were arrested this week.

Their arrests on Wednesday came as part of multi-agency investigations connected through an on ongoing federal initiative aimed at prosecuting the community's violent repeat offenders.

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton said the takedown involved about 40 officers and agents of multiple law-enforcement agencies and resulted in the arrests of eight people who have federal indictments for drug and weapons charges.

"These defendants who have long vexed the Lubbock area, are charged with a variety of federal crimes from possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, to distributing methamphetamine, to conspiring to distribute fentanyl," she said. "... These defendants have rap sheets for crimes like assaults, robbery, controlled substances offenses and deadly conduct."

Simonton spoke during a news conference Thursday at the Lubbock police headquarters, where she was joined by officials from local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Court records indicate that Wednesday's arrests stem from separate investigations by local, state and federal agencies that culminated in mass takedown through Project Safe Neighborhood, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at investigating and prosecuting what Simonton called "our communities most significant drivers of violence."

"Instead of agencies working in silos, overlapping and competing, (Project Safe Neighborhood) brings federal and state law enforcement together to take action that will have an outsized impact," she said. "Through these partnerships, agencies share information about what parts of the community need the most attention and who's causing trouble in those communities. And they agree on how to best expend federal resources to make a big impact. "

A federal grand jury returned indictments on Aug. 14 against the eight people, who were arrested in various locations and brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda R. Burch for initial appearance hearings.

They are expected to return to court next week for arraignment and detention hearings.

8 arrested in multi-agency investigations

Those arrested Wednesday include:

Corey Rashad Gilmore, 35, faces a count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

Joe Lewis Ybarra, Jr., 26, and Justin Tyrece Crawford, 32, each face counts of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm

Wesley Glenn York, Jr., 39, faces a count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, one count of possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of convicted felon in possession of a firearm

Kelli Lenay Hargrave, 57, faces a count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Philip Murphy, 60, is charged with a count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Landon Henderson Jackson, 29, is charged with a count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Matthew Nelsen, 29, is charged with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

One person, Matthew De La Cruz, who faces a count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, remains a fugitive. Any one with information about his whereabouts can call the DEA’s Dallas Field Division at 214-366-6900.

Investigating drug, violent crimes

Court records show the arrests stemmed from separate investigations that started with information Lubbock police detectives obtained from sources including confidential informants.

"As with a lot of these investigations that culminate into a multi person conspiracy dealing with violent crime that so often is connected with narcotics trafficking and obviously weapons possession," Lubbock police chief Seth Herman said during the conference. "This started with allegations of drug trafficking here locally. An investigation that was conducted by two LPD narcotics unit investigators. "

Court documents state that investigation, which resulted in Hargrave and Murphy's charges, began in April 2023 and involved a cooperating informant making multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine at a home in the 2700 block of 68th Street.

Meanwhile, undercover police officers watched the house and saw multiple people making short visits at the home.

"This activity is consistent with illegal narcotics trafficking," investigators noted.

The investigation provided detectives with enough probable cause to search the home, which was linked to Hargrave.

A search of the home on May 23, 2023 yielded evidence including more than 440 grams of methamphetamine, three shotguns, three pistols and a ledger.

Another case, court records show, stems from an alleged road rage incident against two off-duty Texas game wardens.

Court documents state the road rage episode happened about 4 p.m. on April 26 near the intersection of 50th Street and Utica Avenue.

The game wardens called police after the driver of a gray 2008 Lexus pointed a handgun at the game wardens as he drove westbound on 50th Street.

The game wardens reportedly learned that York, who has a prior conviction, owned the vehicle and positively identified him as the driver who threatened them with a firearm.

Lubbock police crime suppression detectives found York's vehicle parked at a home in the 2800 block of 53rd Street and saw York place a black suitcase in its trunk.

Investigators followed York to a storage unit in the 3100 block of 50th Street where he was stopped for a failing to signal a right turn.

Officers reportedly smelled the odor of marijuana from York's vehicle and obtained a search warrant.

Investigators found 11 heat-sealed packages of marijuana weighing about 9 pounds, the documents states.

Officers also searched York's passenger, who had a handgun in her purse, which she reportedly said York could have used to threaten the off-duty game wardens.

Meanwhile York reportedly told investigators that there was another pound of marijuana in his home.

A search of York's home yielded a 22 caliber Uzi firearm, a shotgun and more than 17 ounces of marijuana.

The charge against Gilmore stems from a June 13 traffic stop in the 5700 block of 73rd Street during which a Lubbock police officer found nearly $11,000 in his pockets. The officer would later find a 9 mm caliber pistol and 65.4 grams of cocaine, which officials consider a "dealer amount" of drugs, in the Dodge Ram pickup truck Gilmore drove.

Officials believe the money Gilmore had on him were proceeds from selling cocaine.

From the arrests, law enforcement agents seized 12 firearms along with 946 grams of methamphetamine, 2 ounces of cocaine, and more than 10 pounds of marijuana, officials said.

Stressing gun safety

Of the 12 firearms seized, two were reported stolen and one was linked to a separate crime, said Sara Abel, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

One of the weapons was modified with a machinegun conversion device, she said.

"The proliferation of these devices is affecting the safety of citizens and law enforcement officers and not just in big cities like Dallas and Houston but they're making their way to communities like yours and into the hands of criminals and juveniles," she said.

She encouraged gun owners to keep their weapons safe by leaving them inside their homes.

"If you discover that a firearm has been stolen please report it to your local law enforcement agency as soon as possible," she said.

Herman reiterated Abel's point, saying his department supports a citizen's second amendment right to bear arms to protect their families, homes and property.

"But with that right comes an invaluable and necessary responsibility to ensure that those weapons are secured properly and not left in their vehicles at night," he said. "These weapons are falling into the hands of violent criminals daily and nightly simply because citizens are failing to properly secure their weapons in their residences."

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Feds say 8 who 'long vexed' Lubbock arrested in multi-agency bust