Liquid Meth From Mexico, Turned Into Crystal in Kansas: 9 in Manhattan–Salina Ring Get a Combined 132 Years, Leader Gonzalo Escobedo Gets 20
Some members of a Manhattan and Salina, Kansas, drug ring drove to Mexico and brought back liquid methamphetamine, which was then turned into crystal meth in Kansas, federal prosecutors say. Nine members of the ring have now been sentenced to a combined 132 years in federal prison. The ring’s leader, Gonzalo Escobedo, 49, and two others each got 20 years, according to an Oct. 2, 2026, announcement by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas, as reported by KAKE and WIBW.
62.9 pounds in a single traffic stop
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Riley County Police Department began investigating the group in 2022, WIBW reported. During traffic stops, officers seized large amounts of drugs, including 62.9 pounds of methamphetamine in one stop and 20 pounds in another.
Agents concluded that Escobedo, whom prosecutors describe as a Mexican national who entered the U.S. illegally, was the organization’s local leader. KAKE reported that he told subordinates “on multiple occasions” to pick up crystal meth and cocaine from suppliers in California and Arizona and bring it back to Kansas for distribution. “Some co-conspirators also made trips to Mexico to bring back liquid methamphetamine that, once in Kansas, was then converted to crystal methamphetamine,” the Justice Department said, as quoted by KAKE.
The sentences
All nine pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to the reports, they received these sentences:
- Gonzalo Escobedo, 49: 240 months (20 years)
- Joseph K. Murdoch, 32: 240 months
- Manuel Meza, 31: 240 months
- Aaron Noonan, 32: 180 months
- Amanda Hubbard, 43: 180 months
- Julisa Esparza, 26: 180 months
- Shelbie Louise Durham, 29: 126 months
- Harley David Blair, 46: 121 months
- Michael Anthony Jones, 51: 77 months
“Even to central Kansas”
“Drug trafficking organizations with connections to international cartels reach far and wide, even to central Kansas,” U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser said. He added that these operations often cross jurisdictions, making them hard to disrupt, and that partnerships between local and federal agencies have “a greater impact.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Debenham prosecuted the case. WIBW reported that it is part of Operation Take Back America, a Justice Department initiative aimed at illegal immigration, cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The reports do not name any specific cartel or say who supplied the group in Mexico, California or Arizona.
Sources
- KAKE: Nine members of Salina drug trafficking ring sentenced to prison (Oct. 2, 2026)
- WIBW (Aja Carter): 9 sentenced in crackdown on international drug trafficking ring in Kansas (Oct. 2, 2026)
- Photos: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Kansas (public domain), via KAKE.
Reported Oct. 2, 2026, from KAKE and WIBW coverage of the U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement. The facts above are drawn from the government’s account; each defendant pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy count. The sources did not tie the group to a named cartel.