A man who allegedly played a role in a drug smuggling conspiracy was granted a bond during a hearing Wednesday, records show.
A federal court granted Jaime Rios a $75,000 bond on April 14 related to a drug conspiracy case in which the government accuses him of playing a role in moving drugs.
Rios faces at least one drug conspiracy charge related to an event in April 2019, in which he allegedly used his vehicle to drive between a state trooper’s vehicle and another vehicle that was carrying several loads of cocaine, the criminal complaint against him stated.
Rios, 33, is accused of participating in a conspiracy to smuggle 26 kilos of cocaine from Starr County to a location in Hidalgo County. Rios and other unidentified people were going to be paid to help “escort” a vehicle loaded with the controlled substance,” the document stated.
“The investigation revealed Rios and other known individuals had agreed with the driver of the load vehicle to provide security for the load vehicle in case the load vehicle was robbed by other unknown individuals; as well as to run as interference with law enforcement should the load vehicle be targeted for interdiction,” the complaint read.
Rios and the others allegedly asked for $2,500 each for their roles in the smuggling run.
After meeting in Starr County, the group was allegedly in communication with the driver of the load vehicle.
Rios allegedly drove a vehicle to escort the load vehicle.
“After the group departed from the location in Starr County enroute to Hidalgo County, a Department of Public Safety (DPS) Highway Patrolman approached the load vehicle. In response to the Trooper, the driver of the load vehicle utilized a cellular telephone to coordinate with the escort vehicles,” the document stated.
The complaint states Rios drove in an aggressive manner as the trooper attempted to close in on the drug load vehicle.
“Rios aggressively drove a vehicle between the DPS unit and the load vehicle in an attempt to draw the attention of the Trooper. The Trooper conducted a traffic stop on Rios’ vehicle. While the rest of the escort vehicle proceeded East with the load vehicle,” according to court records.
Rios was subsequently paid $2,500 for his role in the drug smuggling run.
The 33-year-old Rio Grande City resident was arrested April 9, two years after the alleged incident.
During his initial appearance, Rios requested an attorney be assigned to him. The court remanded Rios into custody pending the bond hearing.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
