Crime Correspondent: Texas

Hector “Guero” Omero Rodriguez was arrested and charged for intent to obtain and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and money laundering.

Hector “Guero” Omero Rodriguez was arrested and charged for intent to obtain and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and money laundering. He was picked up along with other arrestees during the morning hours of Sept. 17 as apart of a North Texas drug dealing crackdown known as “Operation Dos Equis.”In total, more than $1 million cash, approximately 300 kilograms of cocaine, approximately 400 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 20 weapons, and various explosive devices were seized in the North Texas area.The arrests were part of "Project Reckoning," a multi-agency law enforcement effort led by the DEA. According to the statement, the Gulf Cartel is responsible for transporting multi-ton quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, and marjiuana from countries in South and Central America to the United States, as well as the distribution of those narcotics within the U.S. "Project Reckoning" is a 15-month investigation that has led to the arrests this week of more than 175 individuals throughout the United States and Italy. In the northern district of Texas, "Operation Dos Equis" focused on the Mexican cocaine distribution organization, and stems from a federal grand jury indictment charging 21 defendants with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and money laundering.Another North Texas effort, titled "Operation Vertigo," was an investigation into a methamphetamine distribution organization, and included 11 defendants charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine."Operation Dos Equis and Operation Vertigo are an unprecedented success in North Texas, resulting in the largest combined seizure ever of money and drugs at one time," Roper said. Special Agent Capra said that the combined national drug enforcement activities during the course of the operation have significantly disrupted the Gulf Cartel's transportation and distribution networks, and that the cooperation among domestic law enforcement agencies was instrumental in the successful outcome of the investigation.

Hector “Guero” Omero Rodriguez was arrested and charged for intent to obtain and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and money laundering.

Hector “Guero” Omero Rodriguez was arrested and charged for intent to obtain and distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and money la...

Kenneth Watkins, 28, also known as "DJ Blaze" and "DJ Hog Head Cheese" testified that he is "one of the hottest DJs in the U.S.,

Kenneth Watkins, 28, also known as "DJ Blaze" and "DJ Hog Head Cheese" testified that he is "one of the hottest DJs in the U.S., claiming to be 'world renowned'" according to a news release issued Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney's office in Dallas, which prosecuted the case."He is affiliated with the Ideal Talent Agency in Atlanta, which, according to its web-site, features well-known Hip Hop artists such as 3-6 Mafia, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Mike Jones. Kenneth Watkins has been featured on XM Radio," the release said. Watkins' celebrity status apparently didn't register much with the jury. What did sway them, though, turned out to be the $3 million in cocaine he was caught hauling. Following a two-day trial held before U.S. District Judge Robert Junell in San Angelo, a jury deliberated less than two hours before convicting Kenneth Watkins on both counts of an indictment charging conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. Watkins, 28, faces a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison; he is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Junell on November 7, 2008.Watkins, who is also known as "DJ Blaze" and "DJ Hog Head Cheese," took the stand at his trial and stated that he is one of the hottest DJs in the U.S., claiming to be "world-renowned." He is affiliated with the Ideal Talent Agency in Atlanta, which, according to its web-site, features well-known Hip Hop artists such as 3-6 Mafia, 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Mike Jones. Kenneth Watkins has been featured on XM Radio. The government presented evidence at trial that Watkins, and his co-defendant, Steven Alexander Aaron, 37, were arrested on April 22, 2008, after their eastbound vehicle, a tractor-trailer car hauler, was stopped by a West Central Texas Interlocal Crime Task Force Officer on Interstate 20, near mile marker 266, in Taylor County, Texas, because it didn't have secure chains or a license plate. Aaron was driving the vehicle; Watkins was the sole passenger. The car hauler was loaded with a maroon Chrysler minivan and a black Range Rover. After obtaining Aaron's consent, the officers searched the tractor-trailer and the two loaded vehicles, and discovered six bricks of cocaine in a black backpack in the rear hatch of the Range Rover. Testimony at trial showed that Watkins had hidden the backpack in the Range Rover. The street value of the cocaine in the backpack is approximately $3 million. Court documents show that on two previous occasions, Aaron and Watkins had transported substantial quantities of illegal drugs from Phoenix to Atlanta. Aaron and Watkins would generally meet in the Atlanta area and load vehicles onto the car hauler and transport them to Phoenix, specifically using the vehicles to conceal the illegal narcotics from law enforcement. Upon arriving in Phoenix, several individuals would load the vehicles with illegal narcotics and Aaron and Watkins would then drive the tractor-trailer car hauler back to Atlanta. Steven Alexander Aaron pled guilty prior to trial to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and is also scheduled to be sentenced on November 7, 2008. U.S. Attorney Roper praised the excellent investigative efforts of the West Central Texas Interlocal Crime Task Force, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Abilene Police Department, and the Taylor County Sheriff's Office.

Kenneth Watkins, 28, also known as "DJ Blaze" and "DJ Hog Head Cheese" testified that he is "one of the hottest DJs in the U.S.,

Kenneth Watkins, 28, also known as "DJ Blaze" and "DJ Hog Head Cheese" testified that he is "one of the hottest DJs...

Dannie Conners chief of Kendleton’s fire department was arrested after an undercover drug bust

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpDiNJrSzCaf4Qf40kiMjKK8z7d-Kcs9VIvdL4ryWfkHmWlXF-3YcXDmjioW0noWp3XmKHsopr9Px_ZDDFJAbYDbHj2Nluekm9M8QBcEPZMiqUrKPt6p5ALr3ySvhT2qStg6J4Iyr9sU/s1600-h/16537485_240X180.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5209550681035092482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOpDiNJrSzCaf4Qf40kiMjKK8z7d-Kcs9VIvdL4ryWfkHmWlXF-3YcXDmjioW0noWp3XmKHsopr9Px_ZDDFJAbYDbHj2Nluekm9M8QBcEPZMiqUrKPt6p5ALr3ySvhT2qStg6J4Iyr9sU/s400/16537485_240X180.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> The chief of Kendleton’s fire department was arrested after an undercover drug bust, KPRC Local 2 reported Friday.The Fort Bend County Narcotics Task Force had been investigating 43-year-old Dannie Conners because of reports that he was selling crack cocaine. During a raid of Conners’ home, deputies said they found crack cocaine, marijuana, weighing scales and packaging materials.Conners has been charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana. He was booked into the Fort Bend County Jail.

Dannie Conners chief of Kendleton’s fire department was arrested after an undercover drug bust

The chief of Kendleton’s fire department was arrested after an undercover drug bust, KPRC Local 2 reported Friday.The Fort Bend County Narco...

Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Saul Ochoa arrested on charges stemming from possession and distribution of marijuana

Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Saul Ochoa was arrested Wednesday morning by the FBI on charges stemming from possession and distribution of marijuana, according to federal court documents.FBI spokesman Jorge Cisneros confirmed that Ochoa had been arrested and referred all questions to the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Texas, who could not be immediately reached for comment.An indictment filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Texas charges Ochoa with four counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana in incidents over the past three weeks.Each count carries a maximum punishment of five years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine upon conviction.       Ochoa's arrest is the result of the joint investigative efforts of the DEA, FBI and the Port Isabel Police Department. The case will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jody Young.Cisneros would not say where Ochoa was arrested or where he was being detained.His brother is Justice of the Peace Benny Ochoa III of Port Isabel and his cousin is Port Isabel Police Chief Joel Ochoa.Ochoa, who did not face a challenger in the March Democratic primaries, garnered 2,206 votes.

Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Saul Ochoa arrested on charges stemming from possession and distribution of marijuana

Cameron County Constable Precinct 1 Saul Ochoa was arrested Wednesday morning by the FBI on charges stemming from possession and distributio...

David Munoz arrested in El Paso, Texas

The FBI arrested 52-year-old David Munoz on Thursday in El Paso, Texas. The FBI says Munoz had facilitated two deliveries of 50 kilograms of...

Rickie Dawson York aka Mark Burton Convicted Felon 60 Years in prison

Rickie Dawson York, who turned 39 on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to possessing 1.46 grams of meth on Oct. 16. A Smith County jury sentenced the Tyler man after 25 minutes of deliberation in 241st District Judge Jack Skeen Jr.'s court. The third-degree felony, which carried a punishment range of two to 10 years in prison, was enhanced to a first-degree, with a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison, because of his two prior felony convictions. York will have to serve 15 years before he is eligible for parole. Bullard Police Officer Shawn Johnson testified that at about 3 a.m. on Oct. 16, he was traveling in the area of U.S. Highway 69 and Farm-to-Market Road 346 when he spotted a car parked in front of a closed business, which had been burglarized in the past. Johnson said he found York sleeping inside the car, which was running with its lights on. The man did not have identification, claimed to be waiting on his girlfriend and said he thought he was in the Chapel Hill area. After receiving consent to search, Johnson said he found two bags of meth and a bag of marijuana in the man's pocket. York asked the officer if there was anything they could do to work something out, but Johnson arrested him. Jurors were shown a videotape of the incident.He possessed 1.46 grams of meth and 2.93 grams of marijuana, according to lab reports. York, also known as Mark Burton, was convicted of delivering marijuana in Dallas County in 1996 and possessing a prohibited weapon in Smith County in 2006, for which he was on parole. Beginning in 1987, he has also has been convicted of theft, possession of a controlled substance, failure to identify/fugitive from justice, criminal mischief and theft by check. Assistant Smith County District Attorney Zach Davis said York continued to commit offenses whenever he was released from jail or prison and will never change his behavior. The defendant testified he has had a drug problem for 21 years but, Davis said, he has never sought treatment for his addiction. He asked the jury to sentence York to life in prison to send him a message to stop using and selling drugs and stealing from people. Defense attorney Steven Comte said the punishment range was 25 years to life only because of York's criminal history, but that he has been punished and has served his sentences for all of his prior convictions. "There is nothing about Mr. York's history that is violent and life should be reserved for the most heinous individuals out there," he said. Comte said his client has made some bad decisions and has had problems with addiction, but is a genuinely nice man with a wife and children. He told the jurors to ask themselves what a reasonable sentence would be for possessing little more than 1 gram of meth, adding that he believed it would be a sentence at the low end of the punishment range.

Rickie Dawson York aka Mark Burton Convicted Felon 60 Years in prison

Rickie Dawson York, who turned 39 on Tuesday, pleaded guilty to possessing 1.46 grams of meth on Oct. 16. A Smith County jury sentenced the ...

Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel

A Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel, two TSA officials indicted for helping to smuggle drugs onto airplanes, and a California evidence tech with sticky fingers and a bad habit. Just another week on the corrupt cop front. Let's get to it:In Brownsville, Texas, a Cameron County court bailiff was arrested last Friday on charges he was dealing cocaine and selling high-powered weapons to Mexico's Gulf Cartel. Oscar Pena, 26, was one of two men arrested after a five-month joint investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) known as Operation Dirty Pig. His charges range from weapons charges to operating a continuing criminal enterprise to possession of cocaine. In raids associated with the arrests, police seized 14 assault rifles, five semi-automatic handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, large amounts of ammunition, a bullet-proof vest, $3,000 in cash, and more than a kilo of cocaine. In Atlanta, two Transportation Security Administration officers and a Delta Airlines employee were indicted Tuesday on charges related to an alleged drug-smuggling operation at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. TSA employees Jon Patton, 44, and Andre Mays, 24, and Delta employee Leslie Adgar, 42, are charged with conspiring to distribute narcotics and attempted distribution of cocaine and heroin. They went down after they agreed to let a man smuggle two kilos of cocaine past security and onto a Delta flight to New York in exchange for $8,000 in December. Unfortunately for the Atlanta trio, their smuggler was also a snitch for the DEA who set them up for two more runs, this time with fake cocaine and heroin. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $4 million. The trio are currently out on bond.In Vacaville, California, a former Solano County sheriff's evidence technician pleaded no-contest last Friday to seven felony counts related to the theft of pharmaceutical drugs stored in an evidence room. Sean Colfax Wilson, 35, was facing a 179-count criminal complaint when he copped a plea to two counts of possessing Vicodin and Oxycontin for sale, three counts of burglary, one count of embezzlement of evidence and one count of falsifying evidence. Wilson, who had worked as an evidence tech for the county for two years, was arrested in December 2007 after investigators discovered a large variety of prescription drugs had gone missing. After his arrest, Wilson's attorney told the court Wilson had a substance abuse problem and had taken the drugs for personal use, but he still copped to possession for sale. He faces an April sentencing date and he sits in jail until then.

Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel

A Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel, two TSA officials indicted for helping to smuggle dru...

Brooke Elizabeth Bumgardner,Jesse Leigh Olszewski possession of controlled substance

Brooke Elizabeth Bumgardner, 20, and Jesse Leigh Olszewski, 21, of possession of controlled substance, penalty group 1, between 4-200 grams. They also charged them with possession of marijuana between four ounces and five pounds after finding about a pound of marijuana in the house, and of misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia. They also charged Jesse Olszewski with furnishing or purchasing alcohol to/for a minor.Blake Fillmore Hurst, 19, went to jail on a charge of prohibited weapon (switchblade) in a weapons-free zone.The mother, 46, and a non-resident female, 20, were all charged with possession of marijuana less than two ounces. The second daughter, 19, went to jail on a charge of possession of marijuana less than two ounces and also possession of drug paraphernalia. All drug charges were enhanced because the house is across the street from the Howe football stadium, qualifying the area as a drug-free zone. Ford explained that the penalties of such enhanced charges are stiffer for those found guilty, just as the penalty for the weapons charge against Hurst can be stiffer, should he be found guilty. Ford explained that OxyContin pills can bring up to $40 each on the streets. According to Wikipedia online dictionary, they are a pain medication that produce side effects similar to those from heroin use.The seized narcotics will be taken to the Texas Department of Public Safety lab in Garland

Brooke Elizabeth Bumgardner,Jesse Leigh Olszewski possession of controlled substance

Brooke Elizabeth Bumgardner, 20, and Jesse Leigh Olszewski, 21, of possession of controlled substance, penalty group 1, between 4-200 grams....

Frank Earl Evans Flushed, but not forgotten

Flushed, but not forgotten. Cameron police say a toilet confiscated in a drug investigation yielded bags of cocaine. Frank Earl Evans, 32, o...

Osiel Cardenas has been held in Texas since January 2007

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRCTq4szhyguD6RoeBOg-EeR2H_KU-eDU3NFMuNQf7o5aT22VdHZB9fC0Mu_dH-ISNEkCYnnG6Ru9Ni7A1Vuckm55LwhFF1AhMDl8dQGhcKNm-gXJSN6aP1NbyDT7a0sj9q75md5IWKo/s1600-h/wanted1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5164174645043282562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqRCTq4szhyguD6RoeBOg-EeR2H_KU-eDU3NFMuNQf7o5aT22VdHZB9fC0Mu_dH-ISNEkCYnnG6Ru9Ni7A1Vuckm55LwhFF1AhMDl8dQGhcKNm-gXJSN6aP1NbyDT7a0sj9q75md5IWKo/s200/wanted1.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Reputed Gulf Cartel boss Osiel Cardenas has been held in Texas since January 2007, when Mexican federal agents wearing paramilitary uniforms and black masks handed him over to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Details of the high-security handoff are available to the public after video, apparently recorded by a Mexican agent, was posted on YouTube, the video-sharing Web site. He is accused of smuggling up to 6 tons of cocaine a month across the Texas-Mexico border and also threatening to kill an FBI agent and a DEA agent during a standoff in the Mexican border city of Matamoros. Cardenas' trial is set for May, but his lawyers want to put it off as they are overwhelmed by reviewing an ever-increasing cache of thousands of investigative documents and secretly made recordings. They also said they need more time to translate everything either from English to Spanish or Spanish to English, according to a request before U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle. Materials include intelligence gathered by the U.S. and Mexican governments. "The (material) now includes over 14,000 scanned items," according to a document filed by Houston defense attorney Michael Ramsey. "Many of these items are compact discs — the individual disks contain hundreds of conversations." Federal prosecutors are required to share the information so Cardenas can prepare a defense. They said they won't oppose his request for more time. Although U.S. authorities decline to discuss how Cardenas was handed over to the DEA, video posted on the Web offers a front-row view. Chained at the wrists, waist and ankles, a stern-faced Cardenas, 40, is shuffled aboard a Mexican government helicopter and later transferred to a plane that flew him to Houston to complete his extradition. During the video, Cardenas is asked his name, where he was born, and why he was held in a maximum-security prison in Mexico. "Organized crime, crimes against health and other things," Cardenas responds in Spanish. Also on the plane was Hector "El Guero" Palma, a former leader of a rival gang in a long and bloody turf battle with the Gulf Cartel. Bruce Bagley, who studies drug trafficking for the University of Miami, said regardless of how hard Cardenas' attorneys work, it is likely he'll spend the rest of his life in prison. Gulf Cartel boss Juan Garcia Abrego was convicted in Houston and sentenced to multiple life sentences. "It's very hard to take on the government," Bagley said, noting the resources as well as years preparing a case. "The government has been following Osiel Cardenas, and everybody and his brother has ratted, squealed and turned on him."

Osiel Cardenas has been held in Texas since January 2007

Reputed Gulf Cartel boss Osiel Cardenas has been held in Texas since January 2007, when Mexican federal agents wearing paramilitary uniforms...

Anor “Tip” Burnside Jr,Anthony Wolfe,David King,Donald Wayne Miles

Anor “Tip” Burnside Jr., 25, of Carrollburg Drive, was sentenced to nine years in prison. Burnside was a three-sport athlete at Westover High School. He graduated in 2000. Anthony Wolfe, 35, of Pamalee Drive received a sentence of 15 years in prison. Harold Mitchell Monsour, 47, of Morganton Road, was sentenced to 30 months in prison. David King of Houston, Texas, was sentenced to six months in prison. All entered guilty pleas to cocaine- and marijuana-related charges. Donald Wayne Miles, 48, of Porter, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute marijuana and cocaine. The case was heard in U.S. District Court. Miles, who grew up in Fayetteville, was arrested in February as part of Operation Second Wind, a 15-month investigation launched by the Fayetteville Police Department’s Drug Interdiction team. It culminated with the arrest of Miles and nine others, including six Fayetteville residents. Police and federal authorities seized 26 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $2.6 million, a ton of marijuana worth $9 million and $3 million in cash. Lawmen found $2.7 million of the money when they raided Miles’ home in February

Anor “Tip” Burnside Jr,Anthony Wolfe,David King,Donald Wayne Miles

Anor “Tip” Burnside Jr., 25, of Carrollburg Drive, was sentenced to nine years in prison. Burnside was a three-sport athlete at Westover Hig...

Jose Luis Magana

Jose Luis Magana of Edinburg, Texas, was taken into custody and is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $1 million bond on charges of trafficking in cocaine. Hale said Magana, 44, is originally from Mexico but is in the United States legally. The Sheriff's Highway Safety Unit, trained by the Department of Transportation, stopped the truck for a random safety inspection. The deputy's training alerted him to the hidden compartment and the cocaine, Hale said. The bundles, which were numbered one through 53, were wrapped in layers of cellophane, aluminum foil and black plastic. Earlier this month, sheriff's deputies seized 331 pounds of marijuana - with an estimated street value of $625,000 - found hidden in a load of tomatoes on a tractor trailer traveling eastbound in Interstate 20 near the Interstate 459 exchange. "This is a real crossroads for drug smuggling," Hale said. "The drug cartels are using the interstates, we know that. Deputies across the country are fighting this same battle." Hale said the truck driver is not cooperating with authorities, but he said information gleaned from the stop and the arrest will help other law enforcement agencies. "We were successful at taking a large amount of cocaine off the street, but it's as important to share the intelligence with other agencies," Hale said. "If they're (officers) successful in California and elsewhere, it helps us here."

Jose Luis Magana

Jose Luis Magana of Edinburg, Texas, was taken into custody and is being held in the Jefferson County Jail on a $1 million bond on charges o...

Sitthiphone Phengsengkham,Itthison Phengsengkha and Xtacy Nightclub

Sitthiphone Phengsengkham, 29, and Itthison Phengsengkham, 35, both of Amarillo, of running a "wide-scale trafficking operation responsible for distributing drugs throughout the Texas Panhandle." The brothers, along with their mother and father, were arrested Thursday in raids involving more than 100 area law enforcement officers at locations across Amarillo. "Today's enforcement action effectively shut down a dangerous drug trafficking organization operating in the Amarillo area," said U.S. Attorney Richard Roper of the Northern District of Texas. "This case demonstrates the commitment of federal, state and local law enforcement to work as a team to aggressively address the drug problem in the Panhandle." Large dealers? Federal investigators' sources, according to the affidavit, said the Phengsengskham brothers distributed large amounts of drugs, including 5 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine to one source for three consecutive months. Another drug dealer told investigators Sitthiphone Phengsengkham delivered multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine to him on a regular basis, while another dealer told authorities of a deal involving over 8,000 ecstasy tablets, the affidavit said. One of the men named in the federal complaint, Michael Marion Cuellar, told DEA investigators that through his dealings with Issac Flores, who allegedly sold Cuellar meth, that Flores identified Sitthiphone Phengsengkham as the source of Flores' supply of meth, the affidavit stated. Cuellar told investigators that he reportedly paid Flores more than $200,000 for drugs within a two-year period. A recounting of reported drug deals between the Phengsengkham brothers and Charles Wayne Mestas and Richard Bermea — who were also named in the federal complaint — said that Mestas and Bermea paid the brothers about $6,000 to $8,000 per pound for meth, the affidavit said. Over a four-month period, the two men bought 10 pounds of meth, Mestas told investigators. He also said that the Phengsengkham distributed about 20 to 30 pounds of meth per month. The brothers allegedly used the Colonial Manor Hotel, 5407 E. Amarillo Blvd., as the hub of their alleged drug distribution organization, according to court records. The Phengsengkhams, investigators learned from "cooperating sources," also reportedly used a bar named Ted's Place and a nightclub called Xtacy to "conceal their drug proceeds," the affidavit said. The club is seldom open for business and when an investigative source tried to rent a room at the Colonial Manor Motel, the person was turned away and was told the motel "did not rent rooms." The brothers' parents, Thongfoth Phengsengkham and Pathounpone Phengsengkham own, manage and live in the motel, the affidavit said. A man, in a Dec. 12 intercepted call, phoned Itthison Phensengskah and made arrangements to meet with Itthison at the Colonial Manor Motel to purchase a quantity of drugs. During the call, the man asks Phengsengkham for the price of cocaine, the affidavit said. Another intercepted call from Jan. 1, concerned an "ongoing narcotics transaction" between the brothers. Later wiretaps recounted arrangements between Itthison Phengsengskham and three "street-level" dealers, telling them to go to his location at the motel, the affidavit said. Roland Boswell, named in the affidavit as a "street-level dealer," arrived at the motel and later left. He was later stopped for a traffic violation and authorities searched the vehicle, where they later found meth, the affidavit said. Other wiretaps reveal Sitthiphone Phengsenkham complaining to his sister, Tina Phensengkham Agan, about the siblings' parents being " greedy," according to the affidavit. One wiretapped conversation, according to the affidavit, between the Phengsengkham siblings reveal the three talking about their parents taking potions of the money that was "stashed" upstairs at the motel and "how they mess up the count." Another monitored call recounts Sitthiphone, who is unemployed, talking about giving his parents $10,000. "Unemployed people don't normally give away $10,000," according to the affidavit, which also alleged that both parents are well aware of and "involved in the distribution organization." According to the affidavit, DEA agents, conducting surveillance in September, tracked Sittiphone Phengsengkham leaving his home and going behind Kohl's Department Store, 2610 S. Soncy Road. Agents later tracked Phengsengkham's car and a tractor-trailer leaving the area. Authorities later stopped the tractor-trailer as it traveled west on Interstate 40 and a check of addressees for the vehicle and the driver were linked to drug investigations in California. The driver allowed authorities to scroll through his cell phone, where investigators found a phone number for Phengsengkham. The affidavit said "investigators believe that individual driving the truck is a transporter for a drug distribution organization out of California and a source of supply for the Phengsengkham organization."

Sitthiphone Phengsengkham,Itthison Phengsengkha and Xtacy Nightclub

Sitthiphone Phengsengkham, 29, and Itthison Phengsengkham, 35, both of Amarillo, of running a "wide-scale trafficking operation respons...

Carlos Landin Martinez"The Puma." was found guilty

Carlos Landin Martinez was found guilty of 10 counts including drug trafficking, conspiracy and money laundering over alleged cartel activities from 2005 to 2007 Prosecutors said Landin oversaw an operation in which traffickers wanting to use lucrative smuggling routes across the border into South Texas had to pay Landin a "piso," or tax, to move drugs in cartel territory. Landin was the cartel's second-in-command in Reynosa, a Mexican city south of McAllen, prosecutors say. Drugs came across on people, on rafts and through a tunnel that opened up through a manhole in Hidalgo, Texas, among other means, according to investigators. The proceeds from drug sales all over the United States were then smuggled back into Mexico, authorities said. Government witnesses, arrested on similar charges and hoping for leniency in their own cases, testified about the operations but did not have firsthand knowledge of Landin, also known as "The Puma." An exception was Antonio Parra Saenz, who testified last week that he saw Landin in a black Suburban in Mexico before he was taken away to be tortured for 15 days after a large load of drugs was seized from his stash house in Pharr, Texas. Landin's attorneys contended the government relied on "stories from jailbirds" for evidence that did not directly link Landin to the charges. Eric Jarvis, one of Landin's attorneys, said in closing arguments that the charges involve crimes other people were arrested for. Luis Martinez Robledo, on trial with Landin, also was convicted on all counts. Landin faces 20 years in prison on each count when he is sentenced April 17.

Carlos Landin Martinez"The Puma." was found guilty

Carlos Landin Martinez was found guilty of 10 counts including drug trafficking, conspiracy and money laundering over alleged cartel activit...

Daniel Zamarano testified that as the second in command of the organization, Landin-Martinez played an active role in guiding drug shipments

Daniel Zamarano a Chilean restaurant manager who once smuggled marijuana and methamphetamine for the group told jurors about the organization of cartel operations in Reynosa. “If you want to participate in illegal activity you need to talk to the cartel leader of that area,” he said. “Otherwise you will be kidnapped and killed.” His testimony came in the fourth day of the government’s case against Carlos Landín-Martinez, a 62-year-old former Tamaulipas State police officer charged with multiple counts of drug trafficking, conspiracy and money laundering. But all like all of the government’s witnesses before him, Zamarano could not say that he ever witnessed Landin-Martinez committed a crime. Zamarano explains the system through which smugglers hoping to work with the cartels obtain safe passage for drug loads reaching the Mexican border. Members of the cartel - often former state and federal police officers - pay rent to federal agents in Mexican city who guaranteed them a portion of the country’s northern border, he said. The cartel could then move drugs through the region with impunity. “The Military are the only ones that aren’t corrupted,” Zamarano said. Once loads reached the Tamaulipas border contracted smugglers would then pay the cartels for the drugs and taxes for the cost of doing business, Zamarano said. Those who refused to pay and struck out on their own faced persistent threats of violence. Zamarano testified that as the second in command of the organization, Landin-Martinez played an active role in guiding drug shipments and enforcing cartel dominance. Landín-Martinez, was apprehended in July at an H.E.B. supermarket in McAllen. Landín-Martinez and 13 co-defendants face multiple counts of drug trafficking, conspiracy and money-laundering specifically linked to criminal activity between January 2005 and January 2007. Of those in custody, seven — including Muñiz — have pleaded guilty to charges and are cooperating with federal prosecutors. The latest, Ignacio Soria, filed a plea agreement with prosecutors on Tuesday. Landín-Martinez and Martinez-Robledo have entered pleas of not guilty and are currently standing trial in proceedings expected to last through next week.

Daniel Zamarano testified that as the second in command of the organization, Landin-Martinez played an active role in guiding drug shipments

Daniel Zamarano a Chilean restaurant manager who once smuggled marijuana and methamphetamine for the group told jurors about the organizatio...

Carlos Landin Martinez duffel bags filled with seized bricks of cocaine

Local law enforcement officers brought duffel bags filled with seized bricks of cocaine to court Wednesday as they testified in a federal dr...

Carlos Landin Martinez aka El Puma (update)

Francisco Camacho Barajas, 29, of Mexico City, told jurors in U.S. federal court that he worked for at least two men who smuggled cocaine fo...

Aaron Lee Lynch

Aaron Lee Lynch, 20, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Grayson Lance Calvert

Grayson Lance Calvert, 25, motion to revoke probation for driving while intoxicated and possession of drug paraphernalia

Carlos Landín-Martinez

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ1vNyjI-XOWWh4lLO5Kg-1G28x046DoJ8QBbKfXdVIpVe0VdAuT6AWPSShF7JcoVxnRAGowYslzb0-aBnHX7pkuXIf78g6DUQsyMWM4b0ldbUzHwnBYe0TCNs3kIL7wmYbt5YrSLpaU/s1600-h/81a462c3-6f5f-4c70-9491-599a875e0984_ms.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5155679783460990466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQ1vNyjI-XOWWh4lLO5Kg-1G28x046DoJ8QBbKfXdVIpVe0VdAuT6AWPSShF7JcoVxnRAGowYslzb0-aBnHX7pkuXIf78g6DUQsyMWM4b0ldbUzHwnBYe0TCNs3kIL7wmYbt5YrSLpaU/s320/81a462c3-6f5f-4c70-9491-599a875e0984_ms.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" /></a> Ex-Mexican police commander now believed to be a high-ranking member of a cocaine cartel was arrested after a U.S. drug agent happened to spot him in a supermarket buying a watermelon,Carlos Landín-Martinez, 52, collected taxes on drugs smuggled by smaller groups to markets north of the Rio Grande for at least two years on the cartel’s behalf. Landin-Martinez is a former police commander who is believed to have switched sides and become second-in-command for the Reynosa, Mexico, leg of the cartel, Glaspy said. He is believed to have collected "pisos," or tolls, that the cartel gets from smaller drug gangs crossing through their turf. Reynosa is across the Rio Grande from Hidalgo. With his purported ties to the powerful drug-trafficking organization, authorities took no chances Monday, securing the downtown courthouse Federal agents cordoned off nearby parking lots as bailiffs individually screened more than 30 family members that arrived to watch the court proceedings. Not far from the federal courthouse at the McAllen Police Department, where Landín-Martinez is expected to be held throughout trial, a Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team stood on call Monday night to ensure the security of the building, police Chief Victor Rodriguez said. “We are obviously assisting the U.S. Marshals Office in housing him here,” Rodriguez said. “And we will deploy all the security we can during the trial period.” Landín-Martinez and 13 co-defendants face multiple counts of conspiracy, narcotics smuggling and money laundering in a federal indictment issued in May 2007. Authorities apprehended Landín-Martinez on July 14, when an off-duty agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration spotted him shopping for watermelon at the H.E.B. store on North 10th Street, south of Nolana. The federal indictment against Landín-Martinez and his 13 co-defendants links the men to two specific drug busts between January 2005 and January 2007, including an August 2005 incident in which U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended a man attempting to smuggle nearly 90 pounds of cocaine through Anzalduas County Park. Throughout the period, prosecutors say Landín-Martinez oversaw a figurative toll plaza in Reynosa that allowed such drug shipments from smaller groups through Gulf Cartel territory for a price. “The individual in charge of collecting the taxes was Carlos Landín-Martinez,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Cook Profit said in court Monday. But Landín-Martinez’s attorneys argued the government had relied too heavily on unreliable drug smugglers in building their case. Of the six co-defendants in custody, four have pleaded guilty to the charges and may testify during the trial. One of Landín-Martinez’s co-defendants, Luis Martinez-Robledo, has disputed the accusations against him and will stand trial with the accused kingpin. “All they have is a bunch of people caught with drugs trying to make a deal,” said Landín-Martinez’s attorney, Oscar R. Alvarez. “There’s no evidence. Everything is street rumors and gossip.” Taxing traffic from smaller smuggling groups has become a lucrative side business for the Gulf Cartel in recent years. But the income has sparked internal political struggles within the group and spawned several external challenges to the cartel’s dominance in the region. In light of those threats and last week’s clashes between cartel members and Mexican federal authorities in Rio Bravo and Reynosa, security around the federal courthouse and McAllen Police Department is expected to remain tight throughout the two-week trial.

Carlos Landín-Martinez

Ex-Mexican police commander now believed to be a high-ranking member of a cocaine cartel was arrested after a U.S. drug agent happened to sp...