A former Brownsville police officer has been sentenced to eight years in federal prison following his guilty plea on drug trafficking charges.
Jose Salinas, 53, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, or 2.2 pounds, on Aug. 2 and appeared Tuesday before U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., who sentenced him to 96 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas said in a media release.
In addition, Salinas must pay a fine of $3,000.
In handing down his ruling, Rodriguez noted the position that Salinas held as an officer and that he misused this position of trust to commit the crime over a period of time and not just on one occasion, the release read.
Rodriguez also expressed concern that the criminal conduct Salinas committed cast all law enforcement in a bad light in the community, according to the release.
According to the release, on March 19, 2020, Salinas met people he believed to be drug traffickers at a used car lot he owned. Salinas received $2,500 in cash for escorting meth and cocaine from the lot to a stash house he provided.
During that time, Salinas parked his marked police car in front of the stash house to protect the drug load, according to the release.
Salinas will remain out on bond and will have to voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined at a later day.
