3 EX-OFFICIALS INDICTED BY FEDS

BROWNSVILLE - A seven-count federal indictment alleges that three
former members of the Cameron County constable's office have
trafficked at least a ton of marijuana since 2000.

The grand jury indictment, which was partially unsealed Thursday,
named four defendants, including former Precinct 7 Constable Jose
Alfredo Jimenez, 44.

Jimenez's La Feria home is to be seized, according to the
indictment.

Jimenez's bond hearing was continued Friday until Tuesday, and he is
in custody in Houston.

Former Deputy Constable Benito Villarreal, 32, was freed after paying
a 5 percent deposit on a $100,000 bond. Federal Magistrate John W.M.
Black set a curfew for Villarreal and appointed Villarreal's brother,
a Mission police officer, to supervise him.

Villarreal's attorney, Eddie Medrano, said the government lacked
evidence and that his client was prepared to go to trial to prove his
innocence.

"There's no videos, no audio records, no photographs, no undercover
officers," Medrano said. "Based on what I've seen, this case is made
up of some guy that got popped ... and in order to save some heavy
federal pen time is reaching out and making allegations."

Former Deputy Constable Jose Contreras, 31, was taken into custody
Thursday in Texarkana and was to appear before a federal magistrate in
Fort Smith, Ark., on Tuesday.

Jose Morales, 42, the fourth defendant and the only one not affiliated
with the constable's office, appeared without a lawyer. Black
postponed setting bond until Tuesday.

Prosecutors said they could not comment on what instigated the
investigation, which involved the Drug Enforcement Administration, the
Customs Service, the Border Patrol and the FBI.