The father-son duo operated a drug trafficking ring just feet away from Harlandale High School.
SAN ANTONIO — A Mexican national and his son have been sentenced for allegedly operating a drug trafficking ring near a San Antonio high school.
Jorge Morado Pinales, 44, and his son, Jorge Armando Moreno, 25, were both sentenced to federal prison for their roles in cocaine trafficking and human smuggling conspiracies. The pair also forfeited over $600,000 in proceeds from the criminal activity.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office say they were operating a major drug trafficking ring right next to Harlandale High School. Officials say the father helped his son sell drugs to an undercover Bexar County Sheriff’s Office deputy on July 16, 2023. The father also arranged for his son to sell a kilo of cocaine to that undercover deputy at a later date, and went with him to make that sale on July 25, 2023.
The pair were pulled over by BCSO on a traffic stop while en route to that sale. Officials say they found one kilo of cocaine inside their car.
Investigators with the sheriff’s office obtained a search warrant for their home and found more than $600,000 in illegal drug money inside a closet, as well as a gun and a suspected drug ledger in a drawer.
Another bedroom—which was empty except for a mattress on the floor—housed five illegal aliens. A bucket of urine was found in another bedroom, according to official documents. The father’s cell phone contained numerous conversations between the two about drug trafficking and housing undocumented immigrants.
Morado pleaded guilty on June 26, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and one count of conspiracy to transport and harbor illegal aliens. He’s sentenced to 37 months in prison for each count, running concurrent to one another, and in addition to his four months spent in state custody on related charges. Moreno pleaded guilty to the same two conspiracy charges on July 11, 2024, and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison on Jan. 29.
“This case serves as a stark reminder that alien smuggling is not a victimless crime, but rather a for-profit enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Alien smugglers only seek to enrich themselves, in this case to the tune of over $600,000 in proceeds from these criminal activities.”
The sheriff’s office says the money will be used to buy life-saving public safety equipment to help keep our streets safe, but didn’t say exactly what that equipment would be.
This case highlights how a dangerous criminal drug operation—located disturbingly close to both a high school and a middle school—was successfully dismantled, restoring safety to a local community in Bexar County.
Multiple agencies, including the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the San Antonio Police Department, all investigated the case.