An Orange, Texas, convicted felon has been charged with federal drug and firearms violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Mario Peeples, 35, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a controlled substance on a premises where children are present.
The indictment alleges that in February and July 2025, Peeples, a previously convicted felon, was found in possession of a total of three firearms and methamphetamine intended for distribution. As a convicted felon, Peeples is prohibited by federal law from owning or possessing firearms.
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 (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Peeples faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Beaumont Police Department, and the Orange Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tommy Coleman.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Social Media