Three arrested in El Tropical bust

A raid of a local nightclub by officers with the Bellville Police Department (BPD) and Austin County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) ended with the arrest of three men and the seizure of over 35 bags of powder cocaine on Sept. 19.

Members of the Austin County Special Response Team executed a search warrant for the El Tropical Tavern at 2086 Hwy 36 North after the two local departments conducted a joint narcotics investigation.

The investigation was led by BPD Narcotics Investigator Matt Walls and ACSO Deputy Damon Hagen.

“We received information that narcotics were being sold and used inside the bar,” Walls said.

Suspects Jose Alfredo Castillo, 38, and Hemberto Guerrero, 36, were arrested at the scene and have been charged with the manufacture and/or delivery of a controlled substance. Suspect Miguel Sandoval, 64, was also arrested at the scene and has been charged with possession of a controlled substance.

When officers raided the establishment at about 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 19, they not only found 35 bags of cocaine, but also seized U.S. currency, drug paraphernalia and other related documents.

Dealing of illegal substances was most likely taking place at the nightclub on a regular basis, Walls said, who noted the high amount of traffic entering and exiting the establishment daily.

“Around here, it’s fairly uncommon to see them sell as much as they were out of a bar,” he said.

But, with Sealy in close proximity to Houston, the drug trade carries into the country.

“You can’t stop it all,” Walls said. “The most you can do is try your best to go against it. You do what you can do.”

And that effort by local law enforcement officials to shut down operations like the one at El Tropical Tavern better ensures the safety of the county’s residents.

“The thing about selling drugs and narcotics is, it affects everybody,” Walls said. “When someplace like that is open and people know they can get drugs there, they’ll drive miles to get there.”

And county law enforcement agencies will continue to actively investigate narcotics cases and go after those who participate.

“That’s the only way you can curb them or slow them down is not to give them any slack,” Walls said.

The Austin County Special Response Team consists of officers from BPD and the ACSO, as well as Austin County Constable Dave Schultz. The team has received special training and equipment and continues to update its training every month.

Austin County District Attorney Travis Koehn also assisted in the case. Other agencies involved in the warrant execution were the Texas Department of Public Safety, Trooper David Sutton and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Warden Sonny Alaniz.

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