Two men have been jailed after a 15-year-old was trafficked and swapped for drugs. Jamal Howard, 52, was arrested in August 2024. He and his co-defendant, Renaldo Rojas, 27, were indicted on June 11, 2025, and pleaded guilty last autumn.
Rojas distributed fentanyl to the trafficked child and sent photos of them to Howard in exchange for additional fentanyl, according to court documents. Howard subsequently collected the child, posted commercial sex advertisements, and trafficked the child through force, fraud and coercion while continuing to distribute fentanyl.
ICE said Rojas gave the girl fentanyl and then gave her to Howard in exchange for more of the drug.
Rojas was sentenced to 30 years in prison on January 15 this year for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distributing fentanyl to a person under 21.
While Howard was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison for sex trafficking, distributing fentanyl to a minor and money laundering in late July 2024.
On August 1, 2024, North Texas Trafficking Taskforce agents and Arlington Police recovered the child from an Arlington apartment and seized evidence of Howard’s narcotics distribution, the authorities said.
HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard said: “This intensely gratifying 50-year sentence reflects the seriousness of Howard’s crimes and the unwavering commitment of law enforcement to protect our children and our communities.
“The outcome is the result of outstanding teamwork and dedication from our agents, the Arlington Police Department and our federal partners.
« Let this sentence serve as a warning: Those who traffic minors and distribute deadly narcotics will be brought to justice and face the full consequences of their actions.”
In his State of the Union address earlier today, President Donald Trump claimed that « the flow of deadly fentanyl across our border is down by a record 56% in one year ».
He added: « I think you’re going to find that this is war… drugs smuggled into the United States have killed millions. »
The current occupant of the Oval Office also mentioned combating alleged drug boats.
« Every boat we knock out, we save 25,000 lives, » President Trump said.
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