MARSHALL, Texas – A 32-year-old Marshall, Texas man was sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking crimes in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Cox today.

              Ronald Charles Parker, a.k.a. “Big Ron,” pleaded guilty on Sep. 14, 2019, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 168 months in federal prison on Dec. 16, 2020, by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap.               

              According to information presented in court, Parker was a member of a drug trafficking organization responsible for selling large quantities of methamphetamine in Marshall, Texas.  During the course of the investigation, Parker conducted seven separate drug transactions with a confidential informant, selling a total of 1.24 kilograms of methamphetamine.  Parker and eight others were indicted by a federal grand jury on Feb. 19, 2020, and charged with violations of federal law.  Co-Defendant Danny Brian Hernandez was recently sentenced to 17 years in prison for his drug trafficking conduct.

              This is an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) case and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office; and the Marshall Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.  OCDETF is the largest anti-crime task force in the country and its mission is to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug trafficking and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States. The prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency task forces leverage the authorities and expertise of federal, state, and local law enforcement.