Houston, Texas – A former Houston Police Department ‘Officer of the Year’ award winner, Noe Juarez, was arrested this past Tuesday morning. He has been indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to possess firearms connected with a drug trafficking offense and conspiracy to distribute five or more kilos of cocaine.
Juarez is accused of leading a double life with close ties to the Los Zetas cartel. Court documents accuse him of conspiring with Sergio Grimaldo, the brother of a convicted cartel boss, to distribute five kilos of cocaine in southeastern Louisiana
His co-defendant, Grimaldo, 32, was previously indicted along with his brother, Efrain Grimaldo, a member of Los Zetas, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Louisiana confirmed in an email, according to The NY Daily News.
The Zetas cartel, originally comprised of military special forces, has been labeled by the Mexican Defense Ministry as “the most formidable death squad” in the country.
If convicted on all charges he faces up to life in prison and a $10,000,000 fine.
Court documents accuse Juarez of beginning his drug trafficking operation in 2012.