Hearings postponed for 3 in Jovita case

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Federal court hearings were postponed Tuesday for the owner of Jovita's restaurant and two of the other suspects charged with operating a drug ring headquartered in the popular South Austin nightspot.

Amado "Mayo" Pardo, 64, and 10 of the 15 suspects who were arrested a week ago in an FBI-led raid were scheduled to appear for their detention and arraignment hearings in U.S. District Judge Mark Lane's courtroom in Austin.

It was not immediately clear why the hearings for Pardo and those of Tatiana Huang. 25, and 32-year-old Chris Mier were rescheduled until 9 a.m. Thursday.

During Tuesday's hearing, suspects Lean Day, 24, Jeffrey Finn, 45, and Jorge Carrillo, 44, were freed on unsecured $10,000 bonds. That means they don't have to pay unless term of their release are violated.

During the hearing for Dianicio Sanchez, 62, a prosecution witness said authorities wanted to keep him in custody because they consider him a flight risk and danger to community. The judge agreed and ordered him detained without bail.

An FBI agent testified that the phones of some of the suspects were tapped. Among the recording was Sanchez speaking with Pardo about distributing heroin in East Austin and obtaining weapons for members of drug cartels.

Search warrants and suspects' homes and businesses turned up heroin-filled balloons and ammunition, authorities said. The balloons were to be bundled into groups of 18 and sold for $200.

The suspects in court were among 18 people arrested in what federal, state and local authorities was prison gang-based gang that had been distributing heroin. They named the raid "Operation Muerta Negra."

Police said 15 of the suspects were charged in a federal indictment that was unsealed Thursday with conspiracy to posses with intent to distribute heroin. The others are facing state felony charges for either possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute or possession of a controlled substance.