RIVERSIDE -- A Pomona man was one of two people charged by federal prosecutors today for allegedly trying to arrange transport of 154 pounds of cocaine from Bloomington to North Carolina.
Jose Carlos Rios, 43, and Bobby Ray Palacios, 40, of Buena Park, were arrested Friday after Rios allegedly delivered the cocaine to a confidential source working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, according to a news release.
The men were charged with two counts: conspiracy to possess cocaine with the intent to distribute, and possession of more than five kilograms of cocaine with the intent to distribute, according to the news release.
The charges carry a prison sentence of 20 years to life, according to the news release.
Both men appeared this afternoon in Riverside federal court, where Rios' arraignment was postponed to Sept. 21, and a detention hearing for Palacios was postponed to Wednesday, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Both men remained in custody today, Mrozek said.
According to the news release, Palacios initially approached the source, a truck driver, and asked him to transport the cocaine from Bloomington to North Carolina.
Palacios met the man again Thursday, gave him instructions about a handoff planned for the following day, and told him he'd receive $56,000 for moving the cocaine, according to the news release.
Rios allegedly met the source on Friday in Bloomington, where Rios arrived in a vehicle with a hidden compartment that concealed the cocaine, according to the news release.
Rios was arrested Friday in Ontario after delivering the drugs. Palacios was in the area of the delivery, but left afterward and was arrested in Downey, according to the news release.