Another Plea in Panama Unit Case

MCALLEN, TX—Alexis Espinoza, 30, has entered a guilty plea to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today.

Espinoza, of McAllen, admitted that during 2012, he utilized his position as a law enforcement officer to traffic narcotics. Espinoza, a former officer with the Mission Police Department (MPD), along with other MPD officers and deputies of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Offic, used his law enforcement authority to steal narcotics that were then sold to local drug dealers.

U.S. District Judge Randy Crane, who accepted the guilty plea, has set sentencing for September 10, 2013, at which time he faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, along with a potential fine up to $10 million. Espinoza was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations-Office of Professional Responsibility, and Texas Department of Public Safety. Assistant United States Attorneys James Sturgis and Anibal Alaniz are prosecuting the case.