BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A Bexar County sheriff's corporal was arrested Saturday after he was caught making a drug deal while in uniform, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar announced.
Salazar said Corporal Armando Trevino was arrested on charges of bribery, possession of fewer than 28 grams of a controlled substance in penalty group three with intent to deliver and possession of 4-200 grams of a controlled substance in penalty group one with intent to deliver.
This comes after the agency's Public Integrity Unit obtained information that Trevino would be meeting with a civilian, identified Saturday night as Rudy Anthony De La Cruz, to make a drug deal.
Authorities set up surveillance at a gas station at Broadway Street and Loop 410, where Trevino and De La Cruz met.
"The surveillance team observed a narcotics transaction taking place and they swooped in and placed both under arrest," Salazar said. "The deputy was in uniform at the time of his arrest and he had a weapon present, although he is not a peace officer. It was pretty clear to everybody that he was on his way to work to smuggle these drugs into the Bexar County Jail, but we placed him under arrest before that could be completed."
According to Salazar, law enforcement officers found heroin and Suboxone on the two men.
Salazar believes the 5-year detention officer has been smuggling drugs into the jail for "a good portion" of his time with the agency and had been on investigators' radar for "quite some time."
"I can tell you he's very resourceful," Salazar said "He went to great lengths to conceal his crimes."
Trevino's arrest was the result of a joint investigation with the FBI, the San Antonio Police Department, the IRS and Texas Rangers, according to authorities.
FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs credited Salazar on Saturday for his focus on weeding out public corruption.
"We have worked very long on this case today with the Sheriff's Office," Combs said. "Frankly, today's case would not have come to fruition if it had not been for the Sheriff's Office and Sheriff Salazar. He has supported the FBI in every one of our corruption investigations and without his support, we could not move forward on these cases."
Trevino is the eighth official with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office to be arrested this year.
"It's insulting and it's an affront to the other 1,500 deputies that I have in this agency that just want to come to work and protect and serve and do a great job and provide for their families," Salazar said. "Folks like this are totally disrespecting everybody that wears that badge with honor and distinction."