Three Mexican nationals–Victor Manuel Gonzales, Benito Gonzales and Rodrigo Moreno-Gaona–face a criminal complaint after allegedly conspiring with an undercover federal agent to truck 1,000 pounds of marijuana from Laredo to Dallas. The traffickers reportedly paid $50,000 for the haul.
The Mexican trio caught the attention of Homeland Security agents after word spread of their “recruiting a driver with a commercial driver’s license” in late March, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Breitbart Texas. Homeland Security Investigations agents made contact with the drug traffickers and offered an undercover, duly-licensed driver for the job.
After rounds of negotiation and logistical planning, the undercover agent was supplied with an air-conditioned trailer loaded with the 1,000 pounds of marijuana as previously discussed, according to the complaint.
On March 27, the driver informed his trafficking handlers that he was deviating from his route to Dallas for a stop in San Antonio. After arriving at a Wal Mart parking lot, San Antonio Police Department canine officers performed sweeps of the cargo unit, noting multiple “positive alerts” from the dog, according to testimony.
The undercover driver later met with his three Mexican handlers in south Dallas on March 28 to complete transit and accept payment. According to the complaint, the driver was shorted $180 in cash.
The three traffickers were later arrested by HSI agents on probable cause that they “did knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully combine, conspire confederate and agree together in persons both known and unknown to commit…possession with intent to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana.”
Victor Manuel Gonzales, Benito Gonzales and Rodrigo Moreno-Gaona Complaint by BreitbartTexas
This story was originally reported by Eric Nicholson at the Dallas Observer.
Follow Logan Churchwell on Twitter @LCChurchwell
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