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A former member of the Alabama National Guard on Thursday pleaded guilty to human smuggling.
Derrick Terelle Sankey, who was initially arrested while wearing his military uniform and driving a Border Patrol vehicle with around two pounds of cocaine on Sept. 13, 2021, will be sentenced on a yet to be determined date, court records show.
In July, federal prosecutors secured a superseding indictment against Sankey accusing him of human smuggling from March 21, 2021, to Sept. 13, 2021.
Court records show he reached a plea agreement, which hasn’t been filed into online court records as of early Thursday afternoon.
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations began looking into Sankey on Sept. 8, 2021 after information they received led them to believe he was involved in drug distribution, according to a criminal complaint.
Agents set up a sting operation and met with Sankey at a Whataburger in the city of Hidalgo.
When he arrived, Sankey asked the undercover agent for the package he agreed to pick up and was arrested, according to the complaint.
During an interview, Sankey admitted that he intended to pick up the cocaine and take it to the DoubleTree hotel in McAllen.
“Sankey admitted that he believed the person he received the package from had brought the package from Mexico into the United States. Sankey admitted that he was to be paid $1,000 for his efforts,” the complaint stated.
He was permitted to remain on bond pending his sentencing.
