A sometime Hidalgo Canton Sheriff’south Office deputy confessed Fri to staging a artificial drug bust in exchange for $10,000.
Baldemar Cardenas, 36, of Mission pleaded guilty Fri afternoon during a hearing before U.S. Commune Judge Ricardo Hinojosa.
“It’s one of those unfortunate mistakes that happens to officers — anybody, y'all know,” said chaser Rick Salinas of Mission, who represents Cardenas. “Y'all need coin, and you do something stupid. And actually, his interest was very minuscule.”
As part of his plea, Cardenas admitted that he staged a artificial drug bosom in January 2020.
Drug smugglers had received “multiple kilograms of cocaine” from a supplier, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Roberto “Bobby” Lopez Jr. The smugglers wanted to steal the cocaine, just they needed to cover up the theft.
Erstwhile Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Baldemar Cardenas. (Photograph courtesy of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.)
They patently took a small amount of cocaine, mixed it with some other substance and created bundles of “sham” cocaine, Lopez said. Tests conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Assistants revealed the bundles of sham cocaine were but 1.5% pure.
Cardenas, meanwhile, contacted some other law enforcement agency, which seized the sham cocaine.
The smugglers told their supplier that police force officers had seized the cocaine — and provided the supplier with documents from the bust as proof. In reality, though, they had stolen the cocaine.
Cardenas said he was promised $10,000 to stage the artificial drug bust.
“Literally, he was doing a job. Calling it in,” Salinas said. “But he just probably knew a petty fleck more than than what he needed to know.”
Baldemar Cardenas Cantu was built-in in Mexico and moved to the The states when he was a child.
At some bespeak, his family unit settled in Hidalgo. Cardenas attended Valley View Loftier School and graduated in 2003.
Months after graduation, Cardenas moved to San Antonio. He establish a job at Walmart, where Cardenas handled loss prevention at a store most Balcones Heights.
He returned to Hidalgo in 2005.
Cardenas spent the next decade moving between San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley.
During that period, Cardenas studied kinesiology and criminal justice at the University of Texas-Pan American but left without a degree.
In 2010, afterward working a series of retail jobs, Cardenas graduated from the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council law academy. Armed with a peace officer license, Cardenas launched his law enforcement career.
The Alton Police Department hired Cardenas in January 2011, co-ordinate to personnel records. Cardenas moved back to San Antonio less than two years afterward.
He became a bouncer for the Coco Chocolate Lounge and Chophouse, and worked security at a Ross Apparel For Less store, co-ordinate to personnel documents.
Cardenas also became a reserve officer for the Helotes Police Department, co-ordinate to Texas Committee on Law Enforcement records.
How often he worked in Helotes remains a mystery. The city of Helotes said his personnel records had been destroyed.
Cardenas left San Antonio in 2014, when he accepted a full-time job with the metropolis of Hidalgo Police force Section.
After a brief stint in Hidalgo, he applied for a task with the Sheriff’due south Office and became a deputy in September 2015.
Documents released by the Sheriff’s Office show Cardenas became a patrol deputy, but they don’t provide whatever other details about his assignments. Personnel records don’t evidence any commendations or disciplinary activeness during the next five years.
In response to a public data asking, the Hidalgo Canton Sheriff’s Part released documents on former Deputy Baldemar Cardenas. The documents included a black-and-white photo of a patrol motorcar, which may be part of an internal affairs investigation. (Photograph courtesy of the Hidalgo Canton Sheriff’southward Office.)
In March 2020, the Sheriff’due south Function all of a sudden placed Cardenas on authoritative go out.
“This letter is to inform you lot that constructive immediately you are being placed on Authoritative Go out with pay due to an internal investigation,” according to a memo dated March x, 2020. “You are required to turn in your badge, credentials, all issued firearms, keys and access card during the administrative leave period.”
Cardenas resigned six days later.
“I would like to thank each and every i of you all for giving me an opportunity to work for the Hidalgo Canton Sheriff’s Function,” Cardenas wrote to his supervisors. “Resignation will take outcome immediately every bit of Monday, March 16, 2020.”
The Sheriff’s Office refused to release documents from the internal affairs investigation and requested a decision from the Texas Chaser General’s Office.
“In this instance, you lot state, and provide documentation demonstrating, the United States Immigration and Community Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (‘HSI’) objects to the release of the information at issue because it relates to a pending criminal investigation beingness conducted by HSI,” according to a letter from the Attorney Full general’s Office to Hidalgo Canton dated June 16, 2020. “Based upon this representation, nosotros conclude the release of the information at issue would interfere with the detection, investigation, or prosecution of crime.”
Cardenas never worked in police force enforcement once again. He resurfaced in federal courtroom Friday wearing a black arrange and blue surgical mask.
“This instance has been lingering for a while,” Salinas said, adding that COVID-19 caused the filibuster.
Cardenas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a substance that independent 500 grams or more of cocaine.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 14. Cardenas faces a maximum of forty years in federal prison house.
“He may go punished a little more than than we would like to see,” Salinas said. “Merely considering he was an officer.”
