LAREDO, Texas - A 31-year-old man has pleaded guilty to his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine and launder money, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Elizardo Vasquez Jr. admitted to being the courier of cocaine and drug proceeds.
Vasquez is the fifth co-conspirator to be convicted in this trafficking ring. He joins Cesar Mendiola, 57, Jose Angel Rodriguez Jr., 60, Rafael Rodriguez, 63, and Jose Angel Rodriguez III, 34, all of Laredo, who admitted on June 7 to felony charges related to cocaine distribution and money laundering in Laredo.
Throughout the course of this investigation, authorities seized nearly 10 kilograms of cocaine and over $147,000 in drug proceeds.
The investigation revealed brothers Rodriguez Jr. and Rodriguez would receive kilograms of cocaine from a source in Mexico through Vasquez and provide that cocaine to Mendiola for further distribution in and around Laredo. Rodriguez III kept records of transactions and drug proceeds for his father, Rodriguez Jr.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo will impose sentencing Sept. 25. At that time, Vasquez faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Vasquez will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of the Webb County District Attorney’s Office, the Webb County Sheriff’s Office and the United Independent School District Police Department. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony J. Evans and Brian Bajew are prosecuting the case.