Baldemar Cardenas, a former deputy with the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office in McAllen, has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane also sentenced Cardenas to three years of supervised release following his prison term, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas confirmed today.
According to court documents, Cardenas admitted to conspiring with a drug trafficking organization in January 2020. The organization received large shipments of highly pure cocaine from suppliers, which they diluted and used small amounts to create fake cocaine bundles with extremely low purity.
As part of the conspiracy, Cardenas provided local law enforcement with false information, allowing them to seize fake cocaine bundles while the organization avoided detection for stealing the actual cocaine from their suppliers.
In January 2020, Cardenas helped law enforcement seize about 33 kilograms of the fake cocaine in Mission, Texas. Laboratory tests later confirmed the fake cocaine had a purity level of only 1.5%.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office also revealed that Cardenas falsely claimed the information had been provided by a confidential source, further highlighting his involvement in the illegal activity.
Cardenas is expected to voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date. Despite his sentencing, he had been allowed to remain free on bond until then.
This case underscores the ongoing efforts by federal and local authorities to target corruption within law enforcement and prevent the trafficking of illegal drugs.
