Eight suspects federally indicted for distributing drugs

Published 6:59 am Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Last week, a United States District Court grand jury indicted eight suspects for possession with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, according to court documents.

Court documents state the suspects, Hector Ruiz Rodriguez, Jose Gomez Zendeja, Higinio Hernandez Rodriguez, Manuel Lucero Rodriguez, Luis Hernandez Figueroa, Bassey Hopkins, Noel Eliud Gonzalez Morales and Ashley Howell, allegedly committed the crimes beginning as early as 2011 in Pearl River County.

According to court documents, Hector Ruiz Rodriguez, Zendeja and Higinio Hernandez Rodriguez, Hopkins and Howell were all indicted for the charge of possession of 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. Manuel Lucero Rodriguez, Figueroa were indicted for the charge of possession of less than 50 kilograms of marijuana. Morales was indicted for the charge of possession of 50 kilograms or more of marijuana.

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Hector Ruiz Rodriguez, Zendeja and Hopkins were all named in the indictment as “knowingly and intentionally possessing with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana” in Pearl River County on Feb. 9, 2013, court documents state.

According to court documents, Manuel Lucero Rodriguez and Figueroa were indicted for possessing with intent to distribute less than 50 kilograms of marijuana on Aug. 22, 2012 in Jackson County.

The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department was not involved in the Feb. 9, 2013 incident, so the department had no information on the charges.