Post by KC on Oct 14, 2006 20:17:14 GMT -5
McALLEN TEXAS — Six defendants in a high-profile federal drug case have agreed to plead guilty to smuggling charges, opening the way for prosecutors to go after their 10 co-defendants.
The six men who have agreed to plea guilty are officer Jesus Lorenzo Meza, a former Edinburg police officer; Andres Solis; Ruben Meza; Arturo Javier Hinojosa; Miguel Hernandez-Rojas and Robert Lee Rodriguez, according to court documents. The six faced as many as nine federal counts, including conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine and possession with intent to distribute.
Jesus Meza, Ruben Meza and Hernandez-Rojas are brothers of former McAllen police officer Francisco Meza-Rojas, the man who authorities believe led the escape from the federal prison in La Villa last month. Meza-Rojas was in the prison awaiting trial on charges in connection with this case.
The six men who have agreed to plead guilty could face as much as life in prison and a $4 million fine. The remaining charges against the six have been dropped.
"My understanding is that this was something that happened in the past," said Edinburg Police Chief Quirino Muñoz, Jesus Meza’s former boss. "We are disappointed to see anytime a police officer violates the law in such a matter."
The case dates back to December 2005, when the 16 men were indicted after an almost 10-year Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into cocaine and marijuana smuggling near Peñitas.
Meza-Rojas, 41, led the family drug ring, according to court documents. He and the five other prisoners who escaped the prison in La Villa are still on the loose. The six are considered armed and dangerous. The other five men were serving sentences for unrelated charges.
Meza-Rojas and his four brothers were arrested April 19.
There are still four co-defendants in the drug case whose names have not been released because they have yet to be arrested.
Prosecutors have decided to go forward with the case against Meza-Rojas and the six others in custody who have not agreed to plead guilty.
The Meza family smuggled in drugs through an area between Granjeno and Peñitas for years, according to a DEA agent’s testimony in April.
From 1998 until 2006, they would employ as many as 10 people to perform counters-surveillance and move the drugs from Mexico to the United States, according to court documents.
Using codes, cell phones and other technology, they managed to operate seemingly undetected. Based on wire taps of many of the defendants’ phones, agents were able to determine that the players in the smuggling had a system to elude law enforcement, which included abandoning a vehicle loaded with drugs when officers were about to make an arrest, the documents show.
Members of the organization would also use their vehicles to block law enforcement from entering certain roads and areas.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston and DEA in McAllen declined to comment. Both cited the ongoing investigation into the case.
In fact, U.S. Attorneys and DEA agents haven’t shared any details about the case. All information has been gleaned from public records.
Those records and testimony from court appearances show the case against the 16 defendants heavily relies on information gathered from wire taps and confidential informants.
One of the defendants, Solis, filed a motion to have the government disclose the name of the informants. Solis has since agreed to plead guilty. Before his plea agreement, federal prosecutors filed a motion hoping to deny the disclosure of those informants.
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The six men who have agreed to plea guilty are officer Jesus Lorenzo Meza, a former Edinburg police officer; Andres Solis; Ruben Meza; Arturo Javier Hinojosa; Miguel Hernandez-Rojas and Robert Lee Rodriguez, according to court documents. The six faced as many as nine federal counts, including conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine and possession with intent to distribute.
Jesus Meza, Ruben Meza and Hernandez-Rojas are brothers of former McAllen police officer Francisco Meza-Rojas, the man who authorities believe led the escape from the federal prison in La Villa last month. Meza-Rojas was in the prison awaiting trial on charges in connection with this case.
The six men who have agreed to plead guilty could face as much as life in prison and a $4 million fine. The remaining charges against the six have been dropped.
"My understanding is that this was something that happened in the past," said Edinburg Police Chief Quirino Muñoz, Jesus Meza’s former boss. "We are disappointed to see anytime a police officer violates the law in such a matter."
The case dates back to December 2005, when the 16 men were indicted after an almost 10-year Drug Enforcement Administration investigation into cocaine and marijuana smuggling near Peñitas.
Meza-Rojas, 41, led the family drug ring, according to court documents. He and the five other prisoners who escaped the prison in La Villa are still on the loose. The six are considered armed and dangerous. The other five men were serving sentences for unrelated charges.
Meza-Rojas and his four brothers were arrested April 19.
There are still four co-defendants in the drug case whose names have not been released because they have yet to be arrested.
Prosecutors have decided to go forward with the case against Meza-Rojas and the six others in custody who have not agreed to plead guilty.
The Meza family smuggled in drugs through an area between Granjeno and Peñitas for years, according to a DEA agent’s testimony in April.
From 1998 until 2006, they would employ as many as 10 people to perform counters-surveillance and move the drugs from Mexico to the United States, according to court documents.
Using codes, cell phones and other technology, they managed to operate seemingly undetected. Based on wire taps of many of the defendants’ phones, agents were able to determine that the players in the smuggling had a system to elude law enforcement, which included abandoning a vehicle loaded with drugs when officers were about to make an arrest, the documents show.
Members of the organization would also use their vehicles to block law enforcement from entering certain roads and areas.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Houston and DEA in McAllen declined to comment. Both cited the ongoing investigation into the case.
In fact, U.S. Attorneys and DEA agents haven’t shared any details about the case. All information has been gleaned from public records.
Those records and testimony from court appearances show the case against the 16 defendants heavily relies on information gathered from wire taps and confidential informants.
One of the defendants, Solis, filed a motion to have the government disclose the name of the informants. Solis has since agreed to plead guilty. Before his plea agreement, federal prosecutors filed a motion hoping to deny the disclosure of those informants.
www.themonitor.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=15868&Section=Local