Alabama Guard member at Texas border tries to traffic cocaine at Whataburger, feds say
.jpg "Alabama National Guard member Derrick Terelle Sankey is accused of attempting to smuggle cocaine in Hidalgo, Texas near the border with Mexico, officials said.")
An Alabama National Guard member is accused of trying to smuggle drugs near the Mexico border in Texas, officials said.
Federal investigators said Derrick Terelle Sankey agreed to drive a kilogram of cocaine from a Whataburger restaurant in Hidalgo to a hotel in neighboring McAllen.
But the deal was actually part of an undercover investigation.
Sankey was wearing his military uniform and driving a U.S. Border Patrol vehicle when he arrived at the fast-food restaurant Monday, according to a criminal complaint. After Sankey met with an undercover agent and took possession of a package, he was arrested by U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
During an interview, Sankey told investigators he believed the package with a kilogram of drugs had been brought into the U.S. from Mexico and that he was going to be paid $1,000, according to the complaint.
Sankey was charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, approximately one kilogram of cocaine.
U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker determined Sankey had a “substantial amount of money in checking and savings accounts” while assessing whether he would be appointed a public defender, MyRGV.com reported.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Alabama National Guard confirmed Sankey was deployed to Texas for the U.S. Department of Defense’s southwest border mission.
In 2018, then-President Donald Trump increased the military presence along the southern border, and about 3,000 National Guard troops serve there, according to Military.com. The troops mostly help U.S. Customs and Border Protection with logistics, including surveillance, the news outlet reported.
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol, deferred comment to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. A spokesperson in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declined to provide information beyond the criminal complaint.
This story was originally published September 14, 2021 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Alabama Guard member at Texas border tries to traffic cocaine at Whataburger, feds say."