Six men, including three Edinburg residents, are facing life in prison for their alleged roles in a cocaine trafficking conspiracy.
A federal grand jury returned a multi-count indictment on Tuesday against Edinburg residents Arlando Garcia-Garcia, 40, Martin Vela-Alanis, 58, and Martin Adrusbel Vela, 35. Mexican nationals Oscar Obed Manzanares, 22, Jose Bernardo Gonzalez-Gomez, 55, and Jose Santiago Luna-Duran, 45, were also indicted.
Vela-Alaniz was also indicted for allegedly being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to the criminal complaint, on March 22 Manzanares traveled from Mexico to the United States in a gray GMC Terrain and parked it at a local business located in the 1400 block of E. Jackson Avenue in McAllen. Luna-Duran then took the vehicle to a property in Edinburg.
Authorities followed Luna-Duran to an area near the intersection of Trenton and Raul Longoria roads, where they saw two people unloading items from the Terrain to a black Ford pick-up truck, the complaint said.
Luna-Duran then drove back to the local business in McAllen where Manzanares was waiting only to be detained by authorities who then transferred the two men to the Homeland Security Investigations-McAllen Field Office.
A K-9 search of the Terrain revealed a bulk amount of U.S. currency amounting to $238,000, the complaint said.
According to the document, as Luna-Duran and Manzanares were being detained in McAllen, special agents followed the black Ford truck to another property on Trenton Road where they saw a large duffle bag being removed from the vehicle.
Agents approached the property and spoke to four men — Vela-Alanis, Garcia-Garcia, Gonzalez-Gomez and Vela. Vela, who tried to hide the duffle bag, identified himself as the homeowner and did not allow authorities to conduct a search on the property, the complaint said.
Vela-Alanis, however, freely stated to special agents that a black truck had just delivered a load of cocaine to the property, according to the complaint.
The four men were then detained.
Once agents obtained a search warrant, authorities found fifteen bundles of cocaine in the duffle bag Vela had tried to conceal, and they weighed nearly 34 pounds, the complaint indicated.
A K-9 search of the property allegedly yielded over $90,000 and a black and gold Colt Model 1911 pistol.
If convicted, the men face up to life in prison as well as a possible $10 million fine.
