LOUISIANA
A federal judge on Wednesday sentenced former Houston police officer Noe Juarez to 30 years in prison for his role in a large-scale narcotics conspiracy linked to Los Zetas Mexican drug cartel , according to officials.
On January 15, 2015, a federal jury convicted Juarez for conspiracy to possess and distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine and a separate conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.
Juarez, as a co-conspirator, assisted an organization responsible for distributing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine throughout the United States, to include Jackson, Mississippi; Pensacola, Florida; New York City, New York; Detroit, Michigan; Baltimore, Maryland, Dover, Delaware; and Houma, Louisiana, according to authorities.
According to evidence presented at trial, Juarez, a veteran Houston police officer, became involved with an international drug conspiracy that reached into Louisiana.
The conspiracy, spearheaded by co-conspirators and brothers Efrain and Sergio Grimaldo, distributed thousands of kilograms of cocaine throughout the United States.
The drugs were supplied to the conspiracy by the Los Zetas drug cartel in Mexico.
Juarez played a pivotal role by providing law enforcement sensitive information, including running license plates and sharing police tactics and activities with conspirators, according to officials.
Juarez further supplied vehicles, body armor, and semi-automatic handguns and assault rifles to the conspirators, some of which ended up among senior cartel leaders in Mexico, according to officials.
“This prosecution is the result of significant collaboration by local, state, and federal agencies across Louisiana and Texas,” stated U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite. “Their collective work ensures that a crooked cop will now spend over 30 years in prison for pouring more illegal guns and drugs onto our streets.”