Former Texas Deputy Sentenced for Aiding Drug Traffickers By Staging Bogus Drug Busts

His fake "confidential" tips allowed his co-conspirators to sell their drugs uninterrupted.

By
drug bust
IBT

A former deputy with the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for providing fake tips that led authorities to bogus drug busts, helping a local drug trafficking group operate undetected in the southern Texas border region.

Baldemar Cardenas, 39, was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine, per Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery. The McAllen resident was a deputy at the time of the offense.

Court documents revealed that the former deputy collaborated with a group of traffickers who sold high-quality cocaine. The trafficking group would manufacture bundles of fake, or "sham," cocaine, and Cardenas would then tip law enforcement to seize the fake drugs. This, in turn, allowed the criminal group to sell the pure cocaine elsewhere without police interference.

By doing this, Cardenas and his co-conspirators were able to keep and sell the real cocaine while making it appear that law enforcement was seizing large amounts of drugs—when, in reality, they were only confiscating fake, low-purity cocaine.

In January 2020, Cardenas tipped local law enforcement to conduct a seizure of approximately 33 kilograms of fake cocaine bundles in Mission, Texas. The then-deputy falsely claimed a confidential source had provided the information. The bundles were taken to a laboratory, where test results revealed a cocaine purity level of only 1.5%.

Cardenas pleaded guilty to his role in the drug trafficking scheme on April 1, 2022. He remained on bond and voluntarily surrendered to a federal prison facility.

Originally published on Latin Times

Tags
Drug Trafficking, Texas
Join the Discussion
More Law & Society
No Jail for Medical Student Found Guilty of Raping Drunk

No Jail for Medical Student Found Guilty of Raping Drunk Woman Who 'Couldn't Possibly Consent': He Is 'Young' and 'Talented'

Police Chief Spiked Officers' Coffee With Viagra, Left Body Hair

Police Chief Terrorized Staff by Pooping on the Floor, Spiking Coffee with Viagra and Sprinkling Body Hair on Food: Complaint

Texas Man Rammed Parked Tesla

Texas Man Rammed ATV Into Parked Tesla 'at Full Speed,' Keyed 'Elon' Into Side of Others: Police

Dumpster Diving Pedo_03282025_1

Binders of Child Porn Discovered in Dumpster by Homeless Duo Leads Man to Admit to Molesting Dozens of Children: Police