Expand / Collapse search
☰

Mexican national, son sentenced in Bexar Co. for dealing cocaine, human smuggling

By
Published  June 12, 2025 9:05am CDT
Bexar County
FOX 7 Austin
article

(Photo by Greg Smith/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

The Brief

    • A Mexican national was sentenced to 37 months in prison for his role in a cocaine trafficking and human smuggling conspiracy.
    • Authorities seized over $600,000 in cash found hidden in a cooler, along with a firearm and a drug ledger at his residence.
    • The investigation also led to the discovery of five people who were in the country illegally being held in the man's home.

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas - A Mexican national was sentenced in San Antonio to 37 months in federal prison on Thursday for his role in a cocaine trafficking and human smuggling conspiracy.

Jorge Armando Morado, 44, was also ordered to forfeit more than $600,000 in proceeds from his criminal activities, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas.

Undercover Bexar Co. Operation

The backstory:

Court documents show that Morado assisted his son, Jorge Armando Morado Moreno, 25, in selling cocaine to an undercover Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy in July 2023. On July 16, 2023, Morado arranged for his son to sell a kilogram of the drug to the deputy at a later date. On July 25, 2023, law enforcement stopped the father and son as they drove to complete the sale and found approximately one kilogram of cocaine in the son's vehicle.

During a search of Morado's residence, agents found about $601,302 in cash hidden in a cooler in his closet. They also discovered a firearm, a suspected drug ledger, and an additional $3,000.

In another bedroom, authorities found five people who were in the country illegally in an otherwise empty room with only a mattress on the floor. A bucket of urine was found in an adjacent room.

What they're saying:

"This case serves as a stark reminder that alien smuggling is not a victimless crime, but rather a for-profit enterprise," said U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas. "Alien smugglers only seek to enrich themselves, in this case to the tune of over $600,000 in proceeds from these criminal activities."

The Latest:

Morado pleaded guilty on June 26, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to transport and harbor undocumented immigrants. The 37-month sentences for each count will run concurrently.

His son, Morado Moreno, pleaded guilty to the same charges on July 11, 2024, and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on Jan. 29.

The case was investigated by the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the San Antonio Police Department.

The Source: Information in this article is from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas.

Bexar CountyCrime and Public Safety