A Laredo man with a criminal past is facing serious time behind bars after copping to drug and gun charges. Homero Flores, 47, entered a guilty plea for having a cocaine stash and maintaining an arsenal at his home, said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office press release.
The legal troubles for Flores, a previously convicted felon, started last September after law enforcement got wind he was allegedly peddling cocaine in the border town. A rummage through the trash outside his domicile unveiled plastic bags akin to those used in drug deals. They also found scribbled notes with prices and weights that pointed toward the narcotics trade, according to officials.
Flores's home yielded two handguns and a sizable 850 grams of cocaine during a bust by authorities. Being previously nabbed in 2012 for a similar cocaine distribution conspiracy, Flores was legally forbidden from owning firearms — a detail overlooked as he once again fell afoul of federal laws.
Judge Diana Saldaña will be handing down the sentence at a future court date, with Flores facing a weighty 40 years and a fine as steep as $5 million. Until then, he will be cooling his heels in custody, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The bust resulted from joint efforts by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the ATF, local police, Homeland Security Investigations, and Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Bajew is handling the prosecution for this case, highlighted as part of the nation-spanning Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program, targeting high-level crime syndicates.
