A former Fort Bliss, Texas, soldier was sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after accepting a plea deal for selling two pounds of methamphetamine to undercover federal agents.
Former Sgt. Derek Calderon, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine in October 2016, the El Paso Times reports. As part of his plea deal with federal prosecutors, two additional counts of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more were dismissed.
Calderon first sold one pound of methamphetamine for $7,500 on March 31, 2016, to undercover agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to the El Paso newspaper. The undercover agents had agreed to travel from South Florida to El Paso, Texas, for the meth after contacting Calderon through a confidential informant. Calderon met with the undercover agents off of Interstate 10, roughly 15 miles from Fort Bliss, according to the El Paso Times.
Court documents indicate that Calderon sold the first pound of meth to the agents in an Army backpack with his name on it.
Calderon posted a video of him flipping through a stack of $100 bills on his Instagram account on April 4, 2016, just four days after the sale.
The second pound of meth was sent via the U.S. Postal Service to Florida from Phoenix. Once enough evidence was gathered, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested Calderon in El Paso on June 27, 2016, according to the El Paso Times.
Calderon received his 10-plus year sentence in May, according to court affidavits obtained by the El Paso Times.
