South Texas father and son admit to using racehorses to facilitate drug trafficking.
Authorities tell Local 23 that the father-son duo from Rio Grande City used the sport of horse racing to not only facilitate drug smuggling, but also to launder money.
50-year-old, Raul Beltran junior and his son, 24-year-old Edward Beltran both pleaded guilty. They were reportedly members of the prolific transnational, transgenerational “Beltran Drug Trafficking Organization.”
The investigation allegedly revealed that the Beltran men used their horse ranches in Rio Grande City to receive, re-package, and conceal thousands of kilograms of marijuana in horse trailers to ship the marijuana up north.
The organizations allegedly dealt with ranking members of the Gulf and Zeta Cartels, as well as the involvement of multiple corrupt sworn peace officers in the RGV.
A total of 22 people were convicted, including a former Starr County Sheriff’s Office Deputy.
