Former police officer turns himself in after 13 years on the run

McALLEN, TEXAS (ValleyCentral) — A former police officer accused of smuggling marijuana through Starr County turned himself in Monday after more than 13 years on the run.

Jose Omar Garcia and his brother, Roel Roberto Garcia, worked for the Roma Police Department.

Former Roma police Officer Jose Omar Garcia. (Image courtesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.)

Former Roma police Officer Roel Roberto Garcia. (Image courtesy of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.)

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration arrested the Garcia brothers in 2010 during an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces investigation dubbed “Operation X-Men.”

They allegedly participated in a conspiracy that involved more than 2,200 pounds of marijuana.

“The indictment is the result of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation X-Men, an investigation affiliated with Project Deliverance, the largest Department of Justice Special Operations Division (SOD) operation to date targeting Mexican Drug Cartel infrastructure and transportation cells throughout the United States with special emphasis on the Southwest Border,” according to a news release the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas published in September 2010.

After being arrested, however, the Garcia brothers posted bond — and fled to Mexico.

Jose Garcia turned himself in Monday after more than 13 years on the run.

During a hearing on Wednesday morning, with his family watching from the gallery, Jose Garcia appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S. Medrano.

Wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt, Jose Garcia sat quietly through several hearings before his case was called. At one point, he appeared to wink at someone in the gallery.

Jose Garcia’s attorney told Medrano that his client’s brother, Roel Roberto Garcia, and his client’s father, Roel Garcia, also planned to turn themselves in.

Both the federal prosecutor and Jose Garcia’s attorney said the self-surrender had been in the works for a while.

Medrano, the magistrate judge, set bond at $100,000 with a $7,500 cash deposit.

Jose Garcia may use the money he deposited in November 2010, before he fled the country, to post bond, Medrano said, because that money apparently wasn’t forfeited.

While on bond, Garcia must remain at home in Roma. He must submit to GPS monitoring and may not leave the house without permission.

If convicted, Jose Garcia faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison.