Defendants get combined 96 years for Lubbock meth trafficking ring

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Final Defendant Sentenced in Significant Lubbock Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization (U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas)

LUBBOCK, Texas - The final defendant connected to a large-scale meth trafficking ring in Lubbock has been sentenced. 

The final sentencing brings the total prison time handed out in the case up to more than 96 years in federal prison. 

Lubbock meth ring sentences

Shawna Nichole Zatloukal, 55, was the last person involved in the trafficking ring to receive a sentence. The full list of defendants, all Lubbock residents, and their sentences in the case is as follows:

• Zatloukal was sentenced to 168 months;
• Jeremiah "Chris" Arguijo, 40, was sentenced to 360 months;
• Christopher Alan Nagella, 59, was sentenced to 240 months;
• Adam "Adan" Casas, Jr., 52, was sentenced to 97 months;
• Benjamin "BJ" Hernandez, 46, was sentenced to 132 months; and
• Nicholas James Westbrook, 45, was sentenced to 160 months.

The total amount of prison time equals about 96.4 years.

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What they're saying:

"These lengthy prison sentences should serve as a warning of what lies ahead for those who distribute narcotics in the Northern District of Texas," said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. "We will be relentless in identifying and prosecuting drug traffickers, as we continue to focus on making the communities in which we live safer."  

"These sentences underscore our commitment to holding drug traffickers accountable for the harm they bring to our communities," said DEA Dallas Special Agent in Charge, Joseph B. Tucker. "The DEA Lubbock Resident Office and our law enforcement partners throughout the region will continue to aggressively pursue those that distribute this poison and never waver as we seek to protect the neighborhoods we call home." 

Lubbock meth trafficking ring

The backstory:

The investigation kicked off in full when multiple search warrants were executed in July 2025. According to Wednesday's release, agents seized over 4,200 grams of methamphetamine during the investigation.

Zatloukal and her codefendants were indicted in August 2025 and all later pleaded guilty to methamphetamine trafficking charges. Zatloukal was sentenced on Monday this week by Fifth Circuit Judge Andrew S. Oldham.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Lubbock Police Department, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Long prosecuted the case.