HARLINGEN — The Harlingen Police Department’s new crackdown on THC-derived drugs has netted its third big bust with the arrest of a woman and her mother charged with a string of felonies after tips led to a search of their home.
A judge ordered Angelina Ruby Balderas, 20, held on $175,000 bail while setting 42-year-old Liliana Rojas’ bond at $70,000.
The court charged Balderas with three first-degree counts of manufacturing or delivery of controlled substances; one count of second-degree manufacturing or delivery of controlled substances; third-degree felony possession of controlled substances; delivery of marijuana, a state-jail felony; possession of controlled substances, a state-jail felony; and possession of controlled substances, a class A misdemeanor.
Meanwhile, the judge charged Rojas with two first-degree counts of manufacturing or delivery of controlled substances.
SEARCH WARRANT
On Monday, officers with the department’s organized crime unit, with the help of K-9 officers, used a warrant to search the women’s home in the 3500 block of Business 77, where they found 800 grams of THC edible brownie cakes, 500 grams of THC gummies, eight grams of psychedelic mushrooms, 21 THC vape pens, 16 LSD stamps, a pound of marijuana, MDMA ecstasy pills and alprazolam pills, a press release states.
The arrests are part of the department’s Operation Guardian, “which combats violent crime associated with the sales and distribution of THC,” the press release states.
“The investigation was initiated when concerned citizens reported that drug activity was occurring at said location,” the press release states, referring to the women’s home.
CRACKDOWN
In February, the police department launched a crackdown aimed at taking THC-derived drugs off the streets.
The latest arrests mark the crackdown’s third big bust, Sgt. Larry Moore said Friday.
“There have been several, multiple arrests,” he said.
Moore said police are planning more arrests.
“We’ve got a bunch of cases we’re working on,” he said.
BACKGROUND
In a news conference last month, police Chief Michael Kester announced the crackdown stemming from the THC vaping craze that’s led to “increasing numbers of juveniles being the victims of shootings or other violent acts due to the illicit drug market” during the last couple of years.
Teenagers are using cash apps to buy THC-based drugs ranging from oils and pastes to edibles from states like California and Colorado, where the drug is legal, then using social media platforms such as Facebook Messenger to sell the drugs here, officials said.
In Texas, drugs containing more than 0.3% THC are illegal, Moore said.
In Cameron County, District Attorney Luis Saenz is stepping up his campaign against the drugs, warning dealers are targeting teenagers, pointing to a case in which a “criminal enterprise” stealing THC oil cartridges shot to death a 16-year-old Santa Rosa boy.
Since October 2022, he said, a “criminal enterprise” has been contacting dealers before stealing their THC oil cartridges and taking their money in cases that have led to shootings.
Meanwhile, state lawmakers are considering downgrading the possession of THC oil from a felony to a misdemeanor, he said.
