Prosecutor details calls between Starr County judge and local drug smuggler

McALLEN, TEXAS (ValleyCentral) — In October 2020, when law enforcement seized about 220 pounds of marijuana, Starr County Justice of the Peace Roel “Role” Valadez Jr. received a phone call.

Ignacio “Nacho” Garza — a reputed drug smuggler from Rio Grande City — needed a favor.

The man hired to pick up the marijuana, Roosevelt Vela, had ditched the drugs and run away when law enforcement arrived. Garza wanted to know whether they’d caught him.

“Valadez then calls the Starr County jail to inquire about Vela,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia Cook Profit said during a court hearing on Monday. “Valadez was told by a Starr County deputy that Vela was arrested by DEA, Homeland Security and HIDTA but he had not yet been brought into the jail.”

“Ignacio Garza advises Roel Valadez that there will be a check for him if he can help him out,” Profit said.

“And what attorney should be hired by Ignacio Garza who will have the most influence in Starr County to help Roosevelt Vela,” Profit said.

Whether the drug trafficking organization actually paid Valadez for his assistance remains unclear. Attorney O. Rene Flores of Edinburg, who represents Valadez, declined to comment after the hearing.

Federal agents intercepted the phone calls during Operation Ice River, which targeted drug smugglers in Starr County.

Prosecutors brought charges against more than two dozen people, including Garza, Valadez and Vela.

The indictment charged them with participating in a conspiracy that involved marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine. If convicted, they faced 10 years to life in federal prison.

Prosecutors also brought charges against several people linked to Operation Ice River, including former Starr County Attorney Victor Canales Jr., a drug smuggler’s girlfriend and two men who transported more than 400 pounds of methamphetamine.

Valadez was arrested in September 2021, when dozens of federal agents descended on Starr County to round up people who participated in the conspiracy.

The State Commission on Judicial Conduct suspended Valadez without pay after his arrest.

Valadez pleaded guilty to possession of less than 100 kilograms of marijuana with intent to distribute. In exchange, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas promised to drop the conspiracy charge and two money laundering charges against him.

Sentencing is scheduled for May 30. Valadez faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.