A justice of the peace from Starr County is suspected of using his position as an elected official to help a drug trafficking organization, according to statements made by a federal prosecutor during a court hearing.
Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Roel “Role” Valadez was arrested Wednesday morning at his Rio Grande City residence as part of a multi-count indictment issued by a federal grand jury in McAllen on Sept. 7.
The indictment, which was unsealed Thursday, was used to carry out the arrests of 20 people suspected to be involved with the Ignacio “Nacho” Garza drug trafficking organization in Starr County.
So far, the indictment names Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Diego Alberto Reyes Roiz, Marcos Barrientos, Janella Chavarria, Roel Valadez, Roosevelt Vela, Abel Reyes, David Gomez, Isidoro “Lolo” Garza, Jose Ortiz, Hugo Canales, Jeronimo Morin, Noel Avila and Samuel Torres.
Other names are expected to be disclosed later.
Only Garza is charged with all ten counts of the indictment.
INDICTMENT CHARGES
All named defendants were charged in the drug conspiracy that began July 2020 and ran through Sept. 7 this year, according to the indictment.
They were accused of conspiring together and possessing with the intent to distribute drugs involving 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, and 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana.
>> Count 2: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza and Diego Alberto Reyes Roiz are charged with possessing with the intent to distribute about 48 kilograms of meth during an incident on July 7, 2020.
>> Count 3: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Marcos Barrientos and Janella Chavarria are charged with possessing with the intent to distribute 207 kilograms of marijuana during an incident on Sept. 1, 2020.
>> Count 4: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Roel Valadez and Roosevelt Vela are charged with possessing with the intent to distribute about 108 kilograms of marijuana during an incident on Oct. 6, 2020.
>> Count 5: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Diego Alberto Reyes Roiz and Abel Reyes are charged with possessing with the intent to distribute 679 kilograms of marijuana during an incident on Nov. 17, 2020.
>> Count 6: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Diego Alberto Reyes Roiz and David Gomez are charged with possession with the intent to distribute about 513.5 kilograms of marijuana during an incident on Dec. 29, 2020.
>> Count 7: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Isidoro “Lolo” Garza, Jose Ortiz and Hugo Canales are charged with possession with the intent to distribute about six kilograms of cocaine during an incident on Feb. 9, 2021.
>> Count 8: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Diego Alberto Reyes Roiz, Jeronimo Morin, and Noel Avila are charged with using and maintaining a place located at 301 La Sagunada Road in Rio Grande City for the purpose of distributing marijuana since Feb. 22, 2021.
>> Count 9: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Diego Alberto Reyes Roizand Samuel Torres are charged with possession with the intent to distribute 3.75 kilograms of cocaine during an incident on March 4, 2021.
>> Count 10: Ignacio “Nacho” Garza and Diego Alberto Reyes Roiz are charged with possession with the intent to distribute about 700 kilograms of cocaine during an incident on Aug. 6, 2021.
INITIAL APPEARANCE HEARINGS
Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Roel Valadez and Abel Reyes were the first set of defendants who appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker on Thursday afternoon.
Jose Ortiz, Hugo Canales, Jeronimo Morin, Noe Villa, Samuel Torres, Marcos Barrientos, Janella Chavarria, Roosevelt Vela and David Gomez also went before the judge in hearings later that afternoon.
The judge read them the charges to ensure they understood them, but Valadez asked for the judge to read the charges a second time.
As Hacker re-read counts one and four, Valadez shook his head to each of the counts.
“Do you understand what they’re accusing you of?” Hacker asked Valadez.
“Kinda, sir. Yea,” Valadez replied.
The judge asked the lead prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Profit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jongwoo Chung, the government’s position on bond for the defendants.
Profit and Chung said the government is seeking detention and requested more time to prepare for the bond hearings.
Profit added that the government considers them flight risks and dangers to the community.
Ignacio “Nacho” Garza reportedly tried to hire a hitman from Mexico, at one point, after he suspected someone lost a drug load.
Meanwhile, Valadez, the justice of the peace, used his position to assist the “Ignacio Garza drug trafficking organization.” Specifically, Profit said, during the time the organization suspected they were being investigated or under law enforcement surveillance, Valadez was asked to identify government vehicles to confirm identities of law enforcement and their agencies.
Profit said Valadez was also involved in drug purchases and the sale of small quantities of drugs and attempted to buy larger quantities of marijuana.
The government also named Diego Reyes a principal in the conspiracy, and said he was “deeply involved.” Profit added she believed Garza was a flight risk after he attempted to flee when he was arrested.
Arraignment and bond hearings were scheduled for Friday, Monday and Tuesday, but attorneys requested special consideration for their clients who will be incarcerated in the meantime.
David Flores, attorney for Roel “Role” Valadez, asked the jail to be aware that his client, a justice of the peace, may have set bond for other inmates in the same facility; Carlos A. Garcia, attorney for Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, said his client suffered from a neck injury and asked the U.S. Marshals to consider that before they took him back into custody, and Sheldon Weisfeld successfully sought an earlier detention hearing date for his client, Abel Reyes, and was granted a hearing Friday.
