Local man gets over 10 years after picking up and delivering “aparatos”

LAREDO, Texas - A 25-year-old Laredo resident has been sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Fernando Tadeo Cerda, 25, pleaded guilty July 19, 2023.

U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison has now ordered Cerda to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release for the drug trafficking conviction. At the hearing, the court considered Cerda was subject to a mandatory 10 years in prison due to being previously convicted of smuggling aliens.

Cerda had also admitted he violated his term of supervised release and received another nine months to be served consecutively for a total 129-month-term of imprisonment.

The investigation revealed Cerda had conspired with his uncle, Jesus Garza, to coordinate delivery of large amounts of cocaine.

On Nov. 27, 2020, Cerda met with Garza and provided him a duffle bag containing the drugs. As Garza departed the location in Laredo, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop and discovered the bag with five bricks which contained over 5,000 grams of cocaine.

Cerda later admitted Garza had instructed him to pick up and deliver "aparatos" (kilograms of cocaine). He further stated he made a total of four deliveries and was paid $1,000.

He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Garza, 63, Laredo, had also pleaded guilty and later sentenced to 48 months in prison.

Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice's OCDETF webpage.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Scott Bowling prosecuted the case.