McALLEN — Federal prosecutors say a Brownsville man hired multiple people to move drugs to Houston and they stole those drugs stolen from him.
Pedro Rubio, the alleged source of nearly 15 kilos of methamphetamine, was in federal court Wednesday where he was granted bond, records show.
Rubio stood before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter E. Ormsby for a detention hearing more than a week after he was arrested in connection with a drug conspiracy case in which he allegedly supplied meth that was subsequently stolen. During the hearing, and despite the government’s objections, the court granted Rubio a $75,000 bond.
The 27-year-old made his initial appearance Feb. 3 in connection with a federal drug distribution charge and is accused of supplying multiple co-conspirators with meth that was intended for distribution in Houston.
His arrest comes more than a year after federal agents began investigating the source of drugs found at an Edinburg home in December 2018.
That’s when agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration executed a search warrant at a residence in the 500 block of East Lovett Street in Edinburg, where they found about 14.05 kilograms of methamphetamine.
Agents arrested three people found at the residence, Yesenia Armendariz, Oscar Franco Lopez and Brando Chacla Avila, as well as two additional suspects connected to the drugs at the residence: Jeanette Michelle Jimenez and Martin Martinez.
All five were arrested and charged for being in possession of a controlled substance, records show.
“Agents later learned through several interviews of the co-conspirators that the narcotics located inside of the residence belonged to a male subject later identified as (Rubio) who resides in Brownsville, Texas,” the complaint stated.
Additionally, Jimenez said that on Oct. 21, 2018, Rubio provided Jimenez with a pickup truck loaded with methamphetamine.
“Jimenez was hired by Rubio to drive the pickup truck to Houston, Texas on his behalf,” the complaint stated.
The truck, which contained meth inside its four tires, would never make it to Houston, according to Jimenez, who admitted that she and the aforementioned co-conspirators took the meth from the tires and split it among themselves to sell.
Subsequently, during a recorded three-way phone call between Rubio, Martinez and Martinez’s wife, Rubio argued with Martinez about the stolen drugs and informed Martinez that the source of the drugs, cartel associates in Mexico, were looking for the people who stole the drugs.
As part of the conditions of his release, Rubio may only reside in Brownsville, where he’s from, or with a relative in Houston, according to court notes.
His next hearing has yet to be set.
