The men involved in working alongside a U.S. Border Patrol agent to smuggle drugs await their bond hearings, records show.
Arturo Trejo and Gumercindo Vásquez-Guerrero each respectively had their bond hearings moved to a later date after filings from their attorneys asked for more time.
According to court notes, the men each during separate hearings requested additional time in the drug case against them.
Their alleged accomplice, Harlingen resident and Border Patrol agent Eulalio Rodriguez, filed a motion to slip his detention hearing earlier this week, records show.
The trio is alleged to have worked in unison to complete a drug deal involving several kilos of cocaine and meth in exchange for thousands in cash, the complaint against the men states.
The investigation into the agent began in August 2020 when federal agents secured a warrant from a federal judge to tap the cellphone of Adrian Delgado Sr., an undocumented man from Mexico, the complaint filed against Hernandez on March 30 stated.
“On or about August 12, 2020, FBI agents intercepted a communication indication that (Delgado), would be traveling with (Rodriguez) to Laredo, Texas. In this investigation, agents have determined that (Delgado) is (undocumented) with no status to be in the United States,” the record showed. “FBI agents also learned (Rodriguez) is a United States Border Patrol (USBP) agent assigned to USBP Station Zapata, Texas and resides in Zapata and Harlingen, Texas.”
The intercepted communication allegedly indicated Rodriguez would go with Delgado to an attorney’s office to “address” Delgado’s criminal history as part of his attempt to obtain legal status in the U.S., the record showed.
In January, a person identified in court records as “Individual A” met with the Border Patrol agent in the parking lot of a Harlingen business.
“Rodriguez arrived in civilian clothes driving his personal vehicle. Rodriguez exited his vehicle and entered ‘Individual A’s’ vehicle,” the document stated. “During the meeting, Rodriguez stated that the female Rodriguez mentioned at the prior meeting was willing to transport the illegal narcotics for ‘Individual A’ at $2,000 USD per kilogram versus the previously offered price of $1,000 USD per kilogram.”
The unknown driver, later identified as Trejo, was hired by Rodriguez to transport the load of narcotics. Rodriguez informed “Individual A” that he was to be paid instead of Trejo.
Federal agents also intercepted communication between Trejo and “Individual A” regarding the pending pickup of narcotics, the criminal complaint stated.
On Feb. 11, “Individual A” called Trejo to let him know he was waiting for him in the parking lot of a business in Harlingen. Trejo advised “Individual A” that he had changed the plan and sent Vasquez-Guerrero instead.
Both “Individual A” and Vasquez-Guerrero met at an agreed location and an ice chest was loaded into a vehicle. Vasquez-Guerrero later confirmed the drugs were hidden inside the ice chest because he called them “cuadros,” the complaint stated. Vasquez-Guerrero then followed “Individual A” to a location north of Edinburg.
Subsequently, the three men were arrested for their alleged roles in the aforementioned investigation.
Trejo, 39, Vasquez-Guerrero, 70, were arrested last week and made their respective initial appearances before a magistrate last Friday, records show.
On April 7, Rodriguez filed a motion waiving his preliminary hearing and requested the detention hearing, scheduled for Thursday, to be cancelled. The Court granted the request, and Rodriguez remains in custody pending the detention hearing.
If convicted of the drug conspiracy and distribution charges, all three men face up to 10 years in federal prison.
