Former Houston Police Officer Gets 30 Years for Helping Los Zetas Cartel

New Orleans, LA -- Another crooked cop was sentenced to prison on Wednesday, June 29. Noe Juarez, a former Houston Police Department, got 30 years federal time for his part in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.

Juarez, a Houston resident, was working with a group run by brothers Efrain and Sergio Grimaldo, both Mexican nationals and members of the Los Zetas cartel. The group was importing and moving hundreds of kilos of cocaine across the country -- federal prosecutors said that the Grimaldos were pushing weight from Detroit to NYC.

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It was revealed at Juarez's January 2015 trial that he was the conspiracy's man on the inside. He provided the group with info -- including the names of undercover agents, police tactics and activities -- body armor and guns, including pistols and long guns. Some of the weapons were smuggled across the border into Mexico.

When the feds moved against the conspiracy about three years ago it was a major collaborative effort, with local and federal agencies throughout Texas and Louisiana working on the case.

Taking the group down became even more of a jurisdictional nightmare when Sergio Grimaldo, who owned a trucking company in Houston, fled to Mexico and had to be extradited.