Patrick Galindo, a man arrested as part of a drug blitz in January, is now facing federal drug distribution charges, Cowley County Attorney Chris Smith said Friday.
Galindo is in the custody of the U.S. Marshal’s office and state charges against him have been dismissed.
A federal grand jury has indicted Galindo on eight counts of distribution. He left the Cowley County jail and entered federal custody just before 10 a.m. Friday, Sheriff Don Read said.
Smith said the new charges against Galindo mean he faces much more time in prison if convicted.
"This is exactly what we were hoping would happen," Smith said. "He’s facing considerable time for each of those counts."
Galindo, and others in his family, were considered central figures in a large-scale drug bust that led to the arrest of more than a dozen people. Local law enforcement spent years orchestrating drug buys and learning the hierarchy of the organization before making arrests.
The busts took place in and around Ark City.
