Five individuals were arrested Tuesday in connection with a drug distribution operation accused of smuggling kilograms of cocaine into St. Louis and other locations. Authorities apprehended Christopher D. Taylor, 35; Stanford “Stan” Times, 36; Vincent “Lil V” Woods, 38; and Terry Smith, 49, in the St. Louis area. Rene Garcia, 47, was taken into custody in Texas.
Arturo Villalobos, now 33 and also from Texas, has been detained since April after being charged by complaint with conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He was indicted on that charge on April 30. A superseding indictment issued July 24 added charges against additional defendants.
According to the indictment, Times, Woods, Garcia, Grant “50” Berry, 47, and Nabor Deleon, 34 (of Texas), each face one count of cocaine conspiracy and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Villalobos, Berry and Deleon face an additional possession charge. Taylor, Smith and Wally Burciaga, 30, are charged solely with the cocaine conspiracy count.
The indictment alleges all defendants participated in a cocaine conspiracy spanning from October 2024 through July 2025.
Court motions seeking pretrial detention state that Villalobos was found with a duffel bag containing 19 kilograms of cocaine and $100,000 cash during an incident reflecting his history of transporting drugs across the country and collecting payments for shipments. The motion further alleges that only days later he traveled to St. Louis to collect payment for a previous delivery.
Berry allegedly possessed 13 kilograms of cocaine and supplied illegal drugs to Woods and Times; those two then supplied Taylor and Smith. The court documents also state that a man who bought cocaine from Taylor became the target of a shooting on Interstate 55 in St. Louis on November 23, 2024. The buyer’s vehicle was struck approximately 26 times by gunfire; one bullet crossed into northbound lanes and killed an uninvolved bystander.
Burciaga is described as an escaped federal prison inmate who served as the source for drugs originating in Mexico. Garcia and Deleon are identified as truck drivers responsible for transporting narcotics.
Authorities remind the public that “Charges set forth in an indictment are merely an accusation and do not constitute proof of guilt. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.”
The investigation involved several agencies: the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Jefferson County Municipal Enforcement Group, Overland Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Assistant U.S. Attorney Torrie J. Schneider is prosecuting the case.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to officials involved in Operation Take Back America which combines efforts from Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
