Lead Defendant in Significant Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization in Lubbock Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison

A Lubbock man responsible for trafficking thousands of pounds of methamphetamine into the Lubbock area was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.

Jeremiah "Chris" Arguijo, 40, of Lubbock, Texas, was indicted in August 2025 and pled guilty in November 2025 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced on March 6, 2026, to 360 months in federal prison by United States District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.

According to court documents, on July 22, 2025, federal agents executed search warrants at multiple locations in the Lubbock area Arguijo used to traffic drugs. They located several pounds of methamphetamine and items associated with large scale drug trafficking, some of which is depicted below:

Court records reflect that Arguijo was located near one of the search locations. He attempted to flee using a vehicle and then on foot, but was quickly captured and placed under arrest.
At the sentencing hearing, the court noted the staggering amount of drugs involved. Over a 12-month period, Arguijo was responsible for trafficking more than 1,200 pounds of methamphetamine, or 100 pounds per month.

Five other individuals charged along with Arguijo have all pled guilty for their roles in methamphetamine trafficking. Adam Casas, Jr. was sentenced in February 2026 to 97 months by Judge Hendrix. The remaining codefendants will be sentenced in the coming weeks.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock County Sheriff's Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting, the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.