Ft. Bliss soldier accused of selling meth to undercover DEA agent
Federal agents arrested a Fort Bliss soldier at the end of June after he allegedly sold meth to an undercover DEA agent, then boasted about the money he made on social media.
Court records show Derek Calderon, 25, was arrested June 27 in El Paso by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
ABC-7 confirmed on Tuesday that Calderon is a sergeant stationed at Fort Bliss.
According to federal court documents obtained by ABC-7, Calderon is charged with conspiracy to posses with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine, and distribution of 50 grams or more of Methamphetamine. This allegedly happened between March 23, 2016 and April 19, 2016.
The criminal complaint states on March 23, a confidential source (CS) with the Drug Enforcement Agency contacted Calderon about a person who wanted to buy drugs. That person was DEA Task Force Officer acting undercover (UC).
Calderon allegedly asked if that person wanted “green (marijuana), white (cocaine) or crystal (methamphetamine).” Calderon said the price would be lower if the meth was bought in Texas. They both allegedly agreed on a price of $7,500 for a pound of meth.
Later that day, Calderon allegedly called the UC, located in Broward County, Florida. During the conversation, the UC agreed to travel from South Florida to El Paso for the purchase.
On March 31, documents state Calderon and the UC met at the Denny’s Restaurant at the Flying J truck stop at 1301 Horizon Blvd. in El Paso. Calderon told the UC he would recognize Calderon by his military uniform.
They allegedly discussed a future purchase of eight pounds of “Blue Crystal” meth, a meth with the “highest purity” priced at $6,500 per pound.
Calderon said future purchases could be mailed to the UC in South Florida.
The two then left the Denny’s and went into Calderon’s Ford F-150 to close the deal. The UC gave Calderon $7,500, and in turn, received an Army backpack that contained the alleged meth.
That substance later tested positive for methamphetamine.
Four days later, on April 4, 2016, a video posted on Calderon’s Instagram account shows Calderon thumbing through several $100 bills, with a caption that reads “this is what I’m about”. The bills allegedly contained the same serial numbers the UC used to pay Calderon for the purchase at the Flying J.
Then on April 11, documents state the UC spoke with Calderon and an unknown male to arrange for a pound of meth to be shipped to Broward County, Florida. The unknown male told the UC a down payment of $1,500 would first need to be deposited into a Bank of America account. The agreed total price was $7,500.
On April 12, the money was then deposited into the account information the unknown male had given the UC.
On April 16th, court documents state a package post marked from Phoenix, Arizona was delivered by the US Postal Service to the UC containing one pound of meth. The package field tested positive for methamphetamine.
The rest of the money was later transferred into two different bank accounts.
On May 16, an arrest warrant was issued out Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Calderon was arrested June 27 in El Paso and was later released to U.S. Marshals. Court documents show he was indicted June 30.
Court documents show Calderon appeared in court July 1 in El Paso before Federal Magistrate Judge Anne Berton where it was determined he would be transferred to Florida for prosecution.
Calderon was appointed a federal court defender.
