Homeland Security Investigations arrests drug smuggler with links to Rio Grande Valley politicians

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A drug smuggler with links to Rio Grande Valley politicians was arrested last week in Las Vegas.

Armando Adan Aguilar Jr., 45, of Mission distributed “thousands of kilograms of cocaine,” according to the criminal complaint against him.

“Right now they’re just allegations,” said attorney Rick Salinas of Mission, who represents Aguilar. “And we’re going to go through the court process.”

Aguilar is a career criminal who spent the past two decades selling drugs and serving prison sentences.

In 2001, when Aguilar was just 21 years old, a federal grand jury indicted him for possession of more than 5 kilograms of cocaine.

Documents filed in the 20-year-old case don’t provide any details and the Clerk’s Office for the Southern District of Texas couldn’t provide an audio recording of the plea or the sentencing.

U.S. District Judge Filemon B. Vela sentenced Aguilar to five years and 10 months in prison.

In 2004, though, prosecutors filed a sealed motion to reduce Aguilar’s sentence. After reviewing the motion, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane released Aguilar from prison.

Aguilar returned to drug smuggling.

In 2009, the Texas Department of Public Safety sent a confidential informant to meet with Aguilar.

“Over the next few days, Aguilar and CI met several times to discuss the details of the purchase of fifteen kilograms of cocaine,” according to a criminal complaint filed in the case.

Aguilar agreed to sell the informant 1 kilogram of cocaine. If everything went smoothly, Aguilar promised to sell the informant another 14 kilograms.

The informant picked up the cocaine on April 17, 2009.

Officers arrested the man who delivered the cocaine, according to the criminal complaint, but Aguilar slipped away.

Aguilar wasn’t arrested until 2013, according to documents filed in the case. Crane sentenced him to five years.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons released Aguilar in February 2017.

Less than two months later, Aguilar created AGM Enterprises LLC, according to documents filed with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.

AGM Enterprises participated in several real estate deals.

In 2019, the company purchased a home from Pharr Deputy City Manager Edward M. Wylie, according to a deed filed with the Hidalgo County Clerk’s Office.

Wylie couldn’t be reached for comment. He hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing.

Aguilar changed the company’s name to A3 Acquisitions in May 2022.

Five months later, A3 Acquisitions partnered with Brownstone Consultants LLC to buy part of a commercial development in McAllen, according to a deed filed with the Hidalgo County Clerk’s Office.

Rhea Mora of McAllen is the managing member of Brownstone Consultants, according to documents filed with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.

Her partner, McAllen Public Utility Board Trustee Albert Cardenas, and several other people supervise the company’s day-to-day operations.

Brownstone Consultants worked on nearly every major project in Pharr during the past decade, including the city’s broadband network.

Aguilar and Cardenas also created several corporations together:

* In 2021, Aguilar, Cardenas and Juan Carlos Del Angel, a member of the Hidalgo County Regional Mobility Authority board, created BStone Group LLC.

Del Angel is also the “Chief Operations Officer and Managing Partner at Brownstone Consultants,” according to his LinkedIn page.

Brownstone Consultants posted a photo of Aguilar, Cardenas and Del Angel on the company’s Facebook page during mid-September. In the photo, Aguilar is wearing a Brownstone Consultants shirt.

“Building memories with the Brownstone team,” reads the post, “and celebrating our amazing interns!”

Del Angel couldn’t be reached for comment. He hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing.

* In April 2023, Aguilar, Cardenas and Del Angel created Hacienda 1800 LLC.

* In June 2023, Aguilar and Cardenas created Anderson Heights LLC.

* In August 2024, Aguilar, Cardenas and McAllen City Commissioner Tony Aguirre Jr. created Los Prados Harlingen LLC.

“I mean, I do know him,” Aguirre said. “But I don’t know him, put it that way.”

Aguirre said he met Aguilar through Cardenas about two or three years ago.

They occasionally had lunch, Aguirre said, and created Los Prados Harlingen to buy land for a development project. Aguirre said he didn’t know about Aguilar’s past.

“Oh my God,” Aguirre said. “It’s crazy.”

Cardenas and Aguilar’s spouse, Norali Garza de Aguilar, also created a company together.

The business, Luxury Pawn LLC, was incorporated during November 2021, according to documents filed with the Texas Secretary of State’s Office.

Cardenas hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing. He didn’t respond to questions about Aguilar or Luxury Pawn.

Aguilar also donated more than $25,000 to local politicians, according to campaign finance reports published by the Hidalgo County Elections Department.

In 2021, he donated $5,000 to Hidalgo County Precinct 2 Commissioner Eduardo “Eddie” Cantu.

“I know who he is,” Cantu said. “I don’t know him really well.”

Cantu said he would occasionally see Aguilar at Santa Fe Steakhouse and Cantina in McAllen.

“I didn’t know he’d been in jail,” Cantu said. “If you ever see him, he looks like a — I guess you can’t judge a book by its cover, right — but he looks like a normal, everyday guy.”

Aguilar also donated $16,250 to Hidalgo County Precinct 3 Commissioner Everardo “Ever” Villarreal from 2022 to 2024.

“That name doesn’t ring a bell,” Villarreal said, adding that it’s possible he met Aguilar in passing at a campaign fundraiser but didn’t remember him.

Aguilar donated another $7,500 to Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez in 2022.

“It must have been pooled by Albert,” Cortez said in a text message. “I just don’t remember or know him.”

Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, arrested Aguilar on Sept. 15 in Las Vegas.

Agents “received information” that Aguilar had distributed “thousands of kilograms of cocaine” from 2022 to 2025, according to the criminal complaint against him.

Homeland Security Investigations arrested more than six people and intercepted several cocaine shipments.

“During debriefs, Agents have interviewed a cooperating Defendant,” according to the criminal complaint, who said Aguilar laundered money through business deals.

Agents started watching Aguilar.

In March 2024, they witnessed Aguilar meet with a suspect at a building near Mission. Agents determined the building was owned by a business.

“Previous internet queries had listed AGUILAR as the purported ‘Supervisor of Real Estate Development’ for said business,” according to the criminal complaint, which refers to the business as “Business 1.”

At some point, A3 Acquisitions and Business 1 purchased a property.

“According to records received by HSI, the purchase was funded by a $576,391.86 cashier’s check provided by A3,” according to the criminal complaint.

The criminal complaint doesn’t provide any details about the property or identify Business 1 by name.

Aguilar also paid more than $100,000 to another business, which is identified as “Business 2” in the criminal complaint, from November 2021 to September 2023.

Agents obtained messages between Aguilar and the person who owned Business 2, which showed they had discussed “purchasing Rolex watches and other jewelry like items,” according to the criminal complaint. They also talked about “smurfing,” a money laundering technique.

Documents filed in the case don’t identify Business 2 by name or provide any details about the owner.

Rick Salinas, the attorney who represents Aguilar, declined to discuss any of the information contained in the criminal complaint.

“It’s not going to get resolved right away,” Salinas said about the case against Aguilar. “I foresee that this is going to be a while — and it’s going to take a long time.”