Drug Cartel Truck Driver on Trial

Published: 7:38 pm
Updated: 8:25 pm

A truck driver from California is the focus of an extensive, and sophisticated undercover narcotics investigation coming to light in Hamilton County. The case is shedding light on the inner workings of a Mexican drug cartel. It's a story you'll see only on Local 12. Rich Jaffe has a look at this revealing case.

Normally when we report on a trial we show people involved, the witnesses testifying on the stand, the good guys, the bad guys and the evidence. The case unfolding right now at the courthouse is a very different one. In fact we can't put much of it on camera-including the witnesses-because, in the words of the prosecutor, the cartel would gladly kill the people involved.

It's hard to imagine but you're looking at $10 to $12 million of cocaine in this evidence bag. According to prosecutors and investigators with Hamilton County's Regional Enforcement Narcotics Unit or Renu. The drugs came into the Tri-State on a tractor trailer from California. It was being driven by Heriberto Padilla. According to investigators, Padilla and half a dozen other men arrested in May are all part of a Mexican drug cartel that was making regular trips to the Tri-State bringing in millions of dollars of cocaine every few weeks.

Today the prosecutor explained to the jury how the case would play out with the help of multiple sophisticated wire taps. "I know you are not narcotics investigators, I know you're not criminals, at least I hope not, but when you hear that phone call you will understand what they understand immediately this is a drug dealing operation, talking about numbers, how much, when it's coming, why it's not coming...that kind of thing and I believe when you hear that it will illustrate to you what's going on here."

Just yesterday, the man riding next to Padilla, Bismark Mercado, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his part in the conspiracy. While we couldn't shoot them on the witness stand, multiple undercover Renu agents will be testifying along with a snitch who according to investigators actually received the 10 kilo's of coke before putting a garbage bag containing nearly $200,000 into Padilla's truck.

Defense attorneys will try to convince the jury that even with all that, Padilla didn't know he was involved in a drug shipment. "I get handed a bag of money and I don't know anything about drugs delivered? I may be surprised about getting money but what do I know about a drug transaction? This is the difficulty the state has."

The prosecutor and Renu agents will take the issue a lot farther during the trial, because they maintain Padilla was actually seen at another large money transaction at the same location two weeks before this drug deal went down.

In opening statements Ray Becker, the defense attorney told the jurors he didn't have any problems with the Renu investigation and was impressed with how thorough it was.

Padilla has no prior criminal history in this country. If convicted, he could be facing 20 years in prison.

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