A federal judge sentenced a former Pharr police officer to 12 years in federal prison for his role in protecting loads of cocaine and smuggling weapons to the Zetas drug cartel.
Jaime Beas appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Randy Crane in McAllen on Thursday morning.
Judge Crane sentenced Beas to 12 years in federal prison.
Court records show that Beas lived in Hidalgo but worked as a Pharr police officer but pleaded guilty to bribery back in December.
Beas admitted to being on-duty while protecting cocaine loads being moved in Pharr between April and June 2010.
The 34-year-old Hidalgo man also admitted to working with an uncle in the U.S. Navy to export weapons to the Zetas drug cartel.
Pharr Police Chief Ruben Villescas fired Beas from his job shortly after his arrest last year.
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