RANCHO ALEGRE, Texas — A federal grand jury indicted 19 people on drug-trafficking conspiracy charges earlier this month, providing new details about the investigation that culminated in multi-agency raids across the Rancho Alegre community outside Alice this week.
The indictment, which was returned under seal on Sept. 9 and made public this week, alleges two separate conspiracies to possess cocaine and cocaine base with the intent to distribute them. The indictment became public nearly two weeks after it was returned and shortly before federal agents and Jim Wells County deputies carried out the raids.
According to the federal indictment obtained by KRIS 6, the first conspiracy allegedly involved more than 5 kilograms of cocaine and took place from approximately March 1, 2024, through June 20, 2026. The second alleged conspiracy involved more than 280 grams of cocaine base and is alleged to have occurred between approximately Feb. 25 and June 20, 2026.
If convicted as charged, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The indictment states that the mandatory minimum could increase to 15 years for a defendant with a prior serious drug or violent felony conviction.
Despite not having been convicted of these charges yet, the prosecutor has asked the judge to keep most of the defendants in jail before trial, a request the judge seemed to support by granting the prosecution a delay before ruling on detention.
All persons accused of a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Reports of arrests, allegations, and law enforcement activity do not, by themselves, establish guilt.
