A U.S. Army sergeant stationed at Fort Bliss wore a military uniform bearing his name while allegedly selling methamphetamine to an undercover federal agent in El Paso earlier this year, court documents state.
Sgt. Derek Calderon, 25, who posted a video of himself with a stack of hundred dollar bills on social media, was arrested in connection with the meth trafficking scheme, according to the documents.
Calderon was indicted in a South Florida federal court on June 30 on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more and two counts of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more, according to the indictment. He is facing life in prison on all three charges.
According to the complaint affidavit, Calderon, who was living in El Paso, was contacted by phone by a confidential source working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in South Florida on March 23.
The source told Calderon that he knew someone who wanted to buy “work,” which is a slang term for drugs, the affidavit states. Calderon allegedly asked if they wanted to buy “green (marijuana), white (cocaine) or crystal (methamphetamine).” The buyer was an undercover DEA agent.
Calderon called the undercover agent to discuss the possible purchase of the meth. He told the agent that he lowered the price for a pound from $8,500 to $7,500 as an incentive to purchase the drugs from Texas.
During a March 27 phone call, the undercover agent agreed to travel from Florida to El Paso to buy one pound of meth for $7,500, the affidavit states.
Calderon and the agent met at the Flying J truck stop at 1301 Horizon Blvd. in Horizon City, the affidavit states. The undercover agent told Calderon he would be wearing a white cap, and Calderon allegedly said he would be in his U.S. Army uniform.
The two men met at a Denny’s restaurant at the truck stop at about 3:30 p.m. March 31, records state.
Calderon, who was wearing his Army uniform bearing his last name, discussed a possible future purchase of about eight pounds of meth for about $6,500, the affidavit states. He also allegedly told the agent that he was selling “blue crystal,” which he claimed was the highest purity of methamphetamine, records state.
The two men then entered Calderon’s pickup to complete the drug deal, the affidavit states. The agent paid $7,500 to Calderon, who then allegedly gave the agent an Army backpack with a pound of meth inside.
A cloth in the backpack also had Calderon’s name on it, the affidavit states.
A few days later, Calderon posted a video on Instagram, a social media platform, showing him holding a stack of hundred dollar bills. The serial numbers matched those on the bills the agent gave him during the undercover drug deal, documents state.
“This is what I’m about,” Calderon posted alongside the video, the affidavit states.
The agent and Calderon later discussed a possible deal involving eight pounds of meth that would be shipped to Florida through the mail.
Calderon and an unknown associate then talked to the agent about the deal, but it broke down.
The agent then agreed to buy one pound of meth for $7,500, the affidavit states. The agent was asked to deposit $1,500 into a bank account as a down payment. On April 12, the down payment was made into the bank account designated by the unknown associate.
The drugs were then shipped from Phoenix by the U.S. Postal Service to an address in South Florida, the affidavit states.
The agent then deposited $3,500 in the same bank account, and $2,500 on April 18 into another bank account allegedly designated by Calderon.
Calderon was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on June 27 in El Paso in connection with the drug deal, according to jail records.
A federal judge in El Paso ruled that Calderon was to be transferred to South Florida to be prosecuted. Calderon was released from the El Paso County jail on July 12 to be extradited to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by U.S. Marshals.
No trial date has been set for Calderon, according to court records.
©2016 the El Paso Times (El Paso, Texas)
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