“So think of how fortunate you are,” Rainey said. Rainey encouraged Rigoberto Beltran to give back to his community through donations or volunteer work. “And you’ve prospered as a result of it.” I’ve heard about how successful you’ve been in this car business,” Rainey said. “One other comment I’ll make as we close. Rainey sentenced Rigoberto Beltran to time served and placed him on supervised release for two years. “I am impressed by the extent of your rehabilitation,” Rainey said, adding that Rigoberto Beltran should be proud of his success. He mastered sales, worked at several dealerships and became a general manager. “I sold 16 cars my first month,” Rigoberto Beltran said. I have a family.”Īfter seven months washing cars, the dealership allowed Rigoberto Beltran to become a salesman. “And they told me: ‘What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here,’” Rigoberto Beltran said, adding that he responded: “I don’t care about that anymore. People who knew his brothers occasionally stopped by the dealership. I went from Rio Grande all the way to Edinburg, every single day from Monday to Saturday.” ![]() “I’ve tried my hardest to show that I deserve another chance,” Rigoberto Beltran said. He left drug smuggling behind and decided to sell cars. While he waited for sentencing, Rigoberto Beltran switched careers. “I respect this man because of how he’s turned his life around,” said attorney Chris Iles of Corpus Christi, who represents Rigoberto Beltran. He also testified during De la Cruz’s sentencing hearing in August 2019. Ramon “Ramey” De la Cruz Jr., who protected the Beltran drug trafficking organization. Rigoberto Beltran provided the government with information about former Rio Grande City police Det. Rainey, the federal judge, also sealed a roughly 20-minute discussion of the motion.Īt least one part of his cooperation is public knowledge. ![]() Rigoberto.”īooth filed her motion to reduce Rigoberto Beltran’s sentence under seal. “The other indictments that came later and the other defendants pled to much, much more because of the cooperation of Mr. Attorney Patricia Hubert Booth, who prosecuted the case. “He’s being held responsible for at least 1,000 but less than 3,000 kilograms,” said Assistant U.S. Rigoberto Beltran pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and cooperated with the investigation. They also brought charges against members of the Texas Chicano Brotherhood and other drug smugglers. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas methodically dismantled the Beltran drug trafficking organization. Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. The Beltran family remained under the radar until January 2013, when a Victoria County sheriff’s deputy found about 600 pounds of marijuana hidden in a horse trailer.ĭuring interviews with investigators, the driver said he regularly transported marijuana from the Beltran ranch to Conroe, Texas, and received $15,000 per trip, according to a criminal complaint. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, estimated that members of the Beltran drug trafficking organization transported 60,000 pounds of marijuana. Homeland Security Investigations, a division of U.S. Rodolfo Beltran handled the money.Īlong with six family members and more than a dozen associates, they smuggled marijuana to Dallas, Houston and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. called the shots, according to a federal agent who testified during a hearing in October 2016. ![]() “And now I’ll deserve any punishment that’s coming.”įrom the family ranch in Starr County, the Beltrans forged relationships with Gulf Cartel bosses, purchased stolen marijuana from the Texas Chicano Brotherhood and paid off law enforcement officers. “I deeply, deeply regret getting into all the trouble I’ve been,” Rigoberto Beltran said Thursday afternoon, when he appeared before U.S. ![]() (Photo courtesy of the Texas Department of Public Safety.)
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