Special to the NEWS
Two men were arrested in connection with a recent drug bust in San Benito’s Bent Tree area.
According to a San Benito Police Department (SBPD) social media post, on Friday, Sept. 18, at around 4 p.m., members of the SBPD SWAT team, the SBPD Special Investigations Unit, and the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team executed a narcotics search warrant at a residence in the 32000 block of Jacaranda Street in the Bent Tree Subdivision in San Benito.
The search warrant led to the arrest of two San Benito residents, Rolando Cantu and Josue Maldonado, for narcotics sales and distribution.
After completing the search of the home, officers allegedly seized: marijuana (2.14 pounds), cocaine (23 grams), and 471 grams of THC in the form of electronic smoking devices.
“Your local law enforcement partners conducted a thorough narcotics investigation that led to this yield,” the post said.
The arrested individuals were transported to the SBPD for further processing and arraignment, and were charged with the following: Manufacture/Delivery of Controlled Substance: PG1, 1st-Degree Felony; Manufacture/Delivery of Controlled Substance: PG2, 1st-Degree Felony; Possession of Marijuana, State Jail Felony; and Minor in Possession of Tobacco Products, Class C Misdemeanor.
The suspects were later arraigned and remanded to the Carrizales Rucker Detention Center in Olmito, Cameron County, Texas.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Man Sentenced to 20 Years
In a separate, unrelated incident, a San Benito man was sentenced to 20 years in state prison upon being convicted of the stabbing death of a 15-year-old juvenile during a graduation party.
The incident took place in the early morning hours on June 7, 2015, on McCullough Rd., when two brothers were stabbed as they attempted to leave the scene, according to police reports.
Police records indicate that Blas Villasana, 18 at the time of the incident, was provided a butterfly knife by another individual at the party.
According to police, Villasana admitted to stabbing 19-year-old Christopher Gallegos during a fight. Villasana said he believed Gallegos had attempted to shoot him with a BB gun.
Gallegos was transported to Harlingen Medical Center and later to Valley Baptist Medical Center, where he was declared brain dead eight days after the transfer.
Gallegos suffered a stab wound to the chest leading to his death. Villasana was ultimately charged with murder.
Villasana pleaded guilty to murder and a lesser charge of aggravated assault for stabbing Gallegos’ brother. His punishment will run concurrently.
Woman pleaded guilty to suffocating child
In another separate and unrelated development, Belinda Perez, 32, of San Benito, pleaded guilty last week to a charge of injury to a child, resulting in serious bodily injury.
According to police records, she had previously been arrested on said charge and was later indicted for attempted capital murder related to the incident.
According to court reports, on June 27, 2024, officers with the Harlingen Police Department responded to a report of an unresponsive female child at the Little Red School House Child Development Center, located at 1502 Dixieland Rd.
The toddler was hospitalized in an ICU in critical condition and later recovered, according to reports.
The arrest report states that when police arrived, the child had “agonal breathing” and blue lips, hands, feet, and nose.
The report states that the daycare owner permitted Harlingen police officers to review security camera footage.
According to the arrest report, officers observed an employee, identified as Perez, pick up the child from the crib with her hands over the infant’s mouth, then walk out of frame. The suspect then returned to the frame and placed the child back in the crib.
Court records indicate that Perez faces 15 years in prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set as of Thursday’s newspaper deadline.
