FBI arrests Constable Ochoa on drug charges
Cameron County Constable Pct. 1 Saul Ochoa was arrested Wednesday morning by the FBI on charges stemming from possession and distribution of marijuana, according to federal court documents.
FBI spokesman Jorge Cisneros confirmed to The Herald that Ochoa had been arrested and referred all questions to the U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District of Texas, who could not be immediately reached for comment.
The U.S. Attorney's Office unsealed the indictment after Drug Enforcement Agency and FBI agents arrested Ochoa at the Port Isabel Police Department on Wednesday.
The grand jury charged Ochoa with possessing five to 10 pounds of marijuana on four different days in May with the intent to distribute. Each of the four counts carries a maximum five years in prison and $250,000 fine.
Ochoa is expected to have his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Felix Recio in Brownsville on Thursday.
His brother is Justice of the Peace Benny Ochoa III of Port Isabel and his cousin is Port Isabel Police Chief Joel Ochoa.
Ochoa, who did not face a challenger in the March Democratic primaries, garnered 2,206 votes. He faces a Republican opponent in November.
For more on this developing story, read Thursday's Brownsville Herald.