A self-employed baker from Zapata became the latest defendant named and arrested Wednesday as part of a drug trafficking operation based in Starr County that resulted in multiple arrests in September.
Eugenio Peña IV, a U.S. citizen living in Zapata, was arrested Wednesday and is now the 17th defendant in a Sept. 7 indictment naming multiple people, including a Starr County justice of the peace, and which resulted in about 20 arrests on Sept. 15.
Peña is facing two charges for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and possessing with the intent to distribute a controlled substance. The charges stem from an event from Sept. 1, 2020 involving 207 kilograms of marijuana and the participation with the Starr County drug trafficking organization led by Ignacio “Nacho” Garza, Isidoro “Lolo” Garza and Diego Reyes.
The defendant appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher A. dos Santos in the Laredo division of the Southern District of Texas on Thursday.
Before his arrest, Peña was working as a self-employed baker for at least a year in Zapata and living with a common law wife and two children, according to the pretrial report discussed during the hearing. He also admitted to daily marijuana use and occasional cocaine use.
Detention was recommended and an attorney was appointed for Peña. A detention hearing was scheduled Nov. 10 in Laredo before the case is transferred to the McAllen division for an arraignment.
Peña’s arrest follows the 16th arrest of Jose Diaz, also known as “Lupillo,” made Oct. 21. He was charged for his alleged involvement in the overall conspiracy and an event dated Feb. 9, 2021 involving six kilograms of cocaine. Diaz later pleaded not guilty on Oct. 28.
