Falcon & Rosales-Bernal Pleaded Guilty in Drug Ring

TEXARKANA, Texas – The Eastern District of Texas has seen two high-profile guilty pleas in the ongoing ‘Operation Dirty Bird’ drug trafficking investigation. Rodolfo Javier Falcon, 36, and Jose Armando Rosales-Bernal, 27, both Texas residents, have been hit with life sentences after admitting to their roles in a massive cocaine and methamphetamine ring.

Falcon, from Titus County, admitted to conspiring to distribute controlled substances, agreeing to forfeit $5 million in drug proceeds. His co-defendant, Rosales-Bernal of Dallas County, faced similar charges and agreed to forfeit $4 million, including $234,971 in cash, several properties, firearms, luxury watches, and a gold necklace.

The duo’s organization was alleged to have distributed over 150 kilograms of Mexican cocaine across Texas and beyond. Falcon was once intercepted with nine kilograms of cocaine en route to North Carolina. They also shipped bulk cash proceeds back to Mexico, including one shipment of nearly $350,000 that law enforcement intercepted.

Rosales-Bernal confessed to carrying multiple firearms due to the dangers posed by the group’s activities and used his drug proceeds on a lavish lifestyle, including an expensive Dodge Charger Hellcat. Under federal statutes, Falcon faces life in prison, while Rosales-Bernal could spend up to 40 years behind bars.

The investigation has yielded significant seizures, including over $500,000 in cash, almost 40 kilograms of cocaine, more than a quarter kilogram of methamphetamine, nine firearms, and multiple vehicles. The probe has also led to the arrest and charges against several others, some of whom have already pleaded guilty and been sentenced.

This case is pending in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas, with additional defendants facing serious prison time if convicted. The Mount Pleasant office of the Texas Department of Public Safety and Homeland Security Investigations SRT are leading this gritty investigation into drug trafficking.