Drag Queen Show Host Pleads Not Guilty to Cocaine Smuggling Charges
A 27-year-old drag queen show host and hairstylist from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, has entered a not guilty plea regarding allegations tied to a cocaine smuggling operation in Hidalgo, Texas. Axel Omar Palacios made this plea in federal court in McAllen on Tuesday.
Court documents suggest Palacios may have been managing a stash house that received drugs smuggled across the border to facilitate their distribution within the United States. The initial encounter with Palacios occurred following the entry of a vehicle thought to be transporting drugs into the U.S. from Mexico in late January, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Testimony from HSI Special Agent Mark Crews revealed in court that the vehicle under surveillance had raised red flags regarding drug trafficking. After crossing the border, the vehicle was seen arriving at an apartment complex in Hidalgo, just south of McAllen.
Upon arrival, a male individual emerged from the apartment pulling a wagon. Investigators identified this person as Palacios, who reportedly opened the trunk of a vehicle, took out four to six medium-sized cardboard boxes, and later loaded them into the wagon. Palacios was then observed bringing the wagon back inside the residence.
Not long after, investigators noticed a white Toyota Tacoma believed to be driven by Johan Eduardo Rivas-Morales, another defendant mentioned in the complaint. Surveillance officers recorded Palacios departing the residence again, pulling a wagon filled with two cardboard boxes, which he loaded into the Toyota before it left the scene.
Hidalgo County sheriff’s deputies stopped the white Toyota and identified Rivas-Morales as the driver. Following a search, authorities discovered two brown boxes containing 40 packages of a white powdered substance weighing about 52.38 kilograms, which later tested positive for cocaine.
That same day, special agents allegedly watched Palacios moving the wagon from one room to another in the same complex. When investigators executed search warrants at both locations, they found an additional 22 packages containing a white powdery substance weighing 25.5 kilograms, also testing positive for cocaine.
Both Palacios and Rivas-Morales reportedly admitted to their roles in the transfer of the cardboard boxes and acknowledged that the transaction involved drugs. Rivas-Morales indicated to investigators that he had collected drugs from Palacios on previous occasions. Allegedly, Palacios mentioned he received payments ranging from $200 to $1,000 based on the volume of drugs transferred.
Palacios is facing charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, a controlled substance categorized as Schedule II. If convicted, he could encounter severe penalties, including fines and a prison sentence ranging from 10 years to life. He is currently in custody as he awaits trial, given his strong ties to Mexico.
According to court documents, Palacios is not only a self-employed hairdresser in Reynosa but has also worked as a drag show host in the same city for the past six months.
