Three Central Texans Face Federal Drug Conspiracy Charges

Federal prosecutors charged three Central Texas residents with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance following a drug-trafficking investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on May 7, 2026.

Broughm Cheyenne Pate, Matthew Devin Badger and Christopher Monroe Sanders, all of Central Texas, were arrested and federally charged in the Western District of Texas. The single-count indictment alleges the three conspired to violate federal narcotics law by possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute them.

The charges affect the three named defendants directly and initiate forfeiture proceedings against any assets linked to the alleged trafficking activity. Under federal sentencing guidelines, conviction on the conspiracy count carries a statutory range that begins at five years and can reach 40 years depending on drug quantity and prior record.

The indictment shifts the cases from any prior local investigative stage into formal federal prosecution. Arraignment and pretrial proceedings must now occur in the Western District of Texas under the Speedy Trial Act timeline. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will next present evidence to a judge on detention or release conditions and begin discovery obligations that include turning over investigative materials to defense counsel.

Downstream, the charges require the Bureau of Prisons and U.S. Probation Office to prepare for potential long-term custody or supervised release. If convicted, the defendants must also undergo asset-forfeiture hearings that can result in seizure of vehicles, cash and property used in the conspiracy.

The case will be assigned to a district judge who will set deadlines for motions, plea negotiations and trial, actions that in turn engage federal defenders or retained counsel and the clerk’s office in scheduling.

This prosecution forms part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing enforcement against domestic drug-trafficking networks. The May 7 announcement follows standard procedure for unsealing indictments once arrests are completed, consistent with prior Western District of Texas narcotics cases that originated from multi-agency investigations involving DEA, local law enforcement and federal prosecutors.

The indictment itself contains no additional named co-conspirators or quantified drug amounts at this stage.