Longview Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

TYLER � A Gregg County man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking charges. Antonio Cortez Gonzales, 35, of Longview, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Love. Gonzales faces up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not been set. Federal prosecutors say on August 19, 2013, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Gonzales’ Longview residence. The search revealed 150 grams of cocaine, 6.5 kilograms of marijuana, empty wrappers for kilogram quantities of cocaine, guns and ammunition. Further investigation revealed kilograms of cocaine were being transported from Houston to Gonzales in Longview for distribution to others. A federal grand jury returned a 30-count indictment on April 23, 2014, charging Gonzales and 17 others with drug trafficking violations.