A man and a woman from Jefferson County, Texas, have been indicted on federal drug trafficking charges in the Eastern District of Texas. U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs announced that Starr Ann Brocato, 34, of Nederland, and John Wayne Brooks, 47, of Port Neches, are accused of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.
According to the indictment returned by a federal grand jury, Brocato and Brooks allegedly participated in a conspiracy between September and November 2025 to distribute methamphetamine within the Eastern District of Texas and other locations.
If found guilty, both defendants could face life imprisonment in federal prison.
The prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created under Executive Order 14159. The HSTF brings together multiple government agencies to target criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, as well as human smuggling and trafficking groups operating inside and outside the United States. The task force prioritizes investigations into crimes involving children and uses all available legal measures to prosecute violent offenders and remove dangerous individuals from the country.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents are investigating this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Lee is handling the prosecution.
“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,” according to the announcement by authorities.
