2014-10-10 Zuniga
George Anthony Zuniga Federal Drug Case
George Anthony Zuniga, an Amarillo man, was sentenced to 87 months (7 years and 3 months) in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug-related charges in U.S. District Court in Amarillo.
Investigation
The investigation began on March 25 when Federal Express reported to Amarillo police that it had received a damaged box that smelled of marijuana. The box contained 10 metal cans, and when FedEx opened one, it appeared to contain marijuana, according to Zuniga's plea agreement.[1]
Amarillo police obtained a search warrant for the box and discovered approximately 10 pounds of marijuana contained in the cans. A FedEx driver reported delivering the package on March 24 to 909 S. Birmingham St. in Amarillo. During the delivery, the driver observed a man emerge from a nearby house at 909 S. Birmingham and then go inside.
On April 3, an officer collected trash from a dumpster near 907 S. Birmingham. Inside, the officer found a small safe bag, Zuniga's W-2 form, mail addressed to Zuniga, an envelope addressed to Irma Carrasco listing her address as 907 S. Birmingham, ATM receipts with her name, two metal cans consistent with those found in the FedEx box, and a small amount of methamphetamine in a baggie.
Search and Seizure
On April 4, Amarillo police obtained a search warrant for 907 S. Birmingham. The following day at approximately 6 p.m., officers executed the warrant. Before doing so, they observed Zuniga and Carrasco drive away from the house in a van. Police stopped the vehicle and found approximately $4,000 in cash inside Carrasco's purse.
During the house search, officers discovered:
- $81,000 in cash in a safe
- Approximately 5 ounces of methamphetamine in another safe
- Approximately 6 pounds of marijuana in a closet
- More than 8 pounds of marijuana total in the home
- A ledger consistent with drug trafficking that documented tens of thousands of dollars in transactions
Plea and Sentencing
Zuniga pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting. He was sentenced on Thursday in Amarillo's U.S. District Court, according to court records filed Friday.
As part of his sentence, Zuniga must forfeit:
- A .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol
- A .38-caliber Colt revolver
- 105 rounds of ammunition
Upon release from federal prison, Zuniga must serve four years of supervised release. He also faces revocation proceedings in a separate federal case in Lubbock.
Related Charges
In August, Irma Carrasco pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, which alleged she had knowledge of the commission of a felony crime and failed to report it to authorities. She remained awaiting sentencing at the time of Zuniga's sentencing.