Foreign National Convicted of Racketeering and Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

Nov 17, 2023 · Sourced to the U.S. Department of Justice

This case reached the convicted stage in the Department of Justice's public record. Everything below reflects only what the government itself announced, and links to the original release.

A federal jury in Beaumont, Texas, convicted a Romanian national today for plotting to traffic hundreds of kilograms of cocaine from the United States in a scheme that also included money laundering, arms trafficking, and an attempt to assassinate rival gang members.

District

Eastern Texas

Announced

Nov 17, 2023

Status

Convicted

Defendants

Marius Lazar — age 50 · Bucharest, Romania · convicted
Murray Michael Matthews · fugitive
Marc Patrick Johnson · fugitive

Charges

Conspiracy to commit racketeering
Max: life in prisonMarius Lazar· convicted
Conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States
Max: life in prisonMarius Lazar· convicted
Conspiracy to commit money laundering
Max: life in prisonMarius Lazar· convicted

Financial actions

seizure: nearly $1 million — Payment sent to the United States via bank wires and Bitcoin transfers for drugs and murders

Investigating agencies

Drug Enforcement AdministrationHomeland Security InvestigationsU.S. Marshals ServiceIRS Criminal InvestigationBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Case details

Prosecuting office: Eastern District of Texas
Assets: Bitcoin

Arms TraffickingCryptocurrencyDrug Trafficking ConspiracyInternational CooperationMoney LaunderingMurder-For-Hire / Assassination PlotRacketeeringTransnational Organized Crime

Primary source

Every fact above is drawn from the Department of Justice's own announcement — a public-domain government record.

Read the original DOJ release →

This is a research and reference page compiled from public DOJ announcements, not legal advice. Details reflect the government's statements as of its release date and may not capture later developments such as appeals, dismissals, or overturned convictions. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.