A high-ranking member in the Texas Mexican Mafia was recently charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The San Antonio-based suspected gang member had his federal bail hearing set for Oct. 28; his criminal rap sheet may make it harder for him to be released on bail.
Police agents began suspecting the “captain of captains” in the Texas Mexican Mafia of receiving drug shipments back in April 2013. Agents searched the house of the captain’s girlfriend and recovered more than a pound of street-ready heroin and a little less than one pound of black tar heroin. Police also found smaller quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana; police did not arrest the man until October.
Before he was suspected of drug offenses, the alleged mafia leader was set to go to trial for his suspected role in the shooting of a man back in November 2003. Police say that the man was the getaway driver for the masked suspect who shot the victim four times as he played basketball with a coworker.
On Oct. 1, as prosecutors were set to begin jury selection in the trial, the Bexar County District Attorney’s office requested and was granted a continuance in the case. Prosecutors said that a critical witness in the case, the 44-year-old ex-girlfriend of the accused, was shot and killed. The man responsible for this killing has not been found or arrested.
One news source reported that Texas Mexican Mafia members have previously been accused of ordering hits on gang members who cooperate with the police. The man whose murder trial is temporarily suspended and who is now facing drug charges may eventually seek an attorney to defend him on additional charges if he becomes an official suspect in his ex-girlfriend’s killing. Anyone facing similar charges may seek a criminal defense attorney to help build a defense against the charges.
Source: My San Antonio, “‘Captain of captains’ faces drug-trafficking charges“, Guillermo Contreras, October 22, 2013
