A detention officer was smuggling drugs into the Hidalgo County detention center and delivering them to an inmate charged with murder, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Channel 5 News.

Ronaldo Rodriguez was identified by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office as the former detention center employee accused as introducing narcotics into the facility. 

Hidalgo County jail records say Rodriguez was released on a $5,000 bond on Tuesday.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Former Hidalgo County detention officer allegedly conspired to bring narcotics into facility

According to the complaint, an inmate reported to investigators that Rodriguez brought synthetic marijuana, THC cartridges, cocaine and lighters into the facility.

The inmate said the drugs were concealed in a clear bag containing toilet paper rolls, and dropped off at the holding cells. From there, inmate Mauricio Mata picks them up, and the drugs are distributed.

Hidalgo County jail records show Mata was booked into the facility in Sept. 2024 on a murder charge. A previous report identified Mata as the suspect wanted in the fatal shooting of 44-year-old David Silva.

Silva was fatally shot in rural Weslaco on Feb. 11, 2023. Mata, who was 15 years old at the time, was identified by the sheriff’s office as the shooter.

According to the complaint, recordings from the jail phones had Mata providing Rodriguez’s cell phone number and Cash App information to his girlfriend, “presumably to facilitate payment for the smuggled contraband.”

Surveillance footage from Aug. 17 showed Rodriguez dropping off a clear bag containing toilet paper rolls to the holding cells. Mata was later seen picking up that bag.

Hidalgo County jail records show Mata is in custody on a $75,000 bond.