AUSTIN, Texas — A federal jury deliberates for a second day in the case against five men charged with using a race horse breeding operation to launder drug cartel money.
FILE - In this Sept. 6, 2010 file photo, owner Jose Trevino Morales, center, acknowledges the crowd as he stood with the trophy after Mr. Piloto won the All American Futurity horse race at Ruidoso Downs, N.M. Prosecutors told a federal jury on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 that Morales, the man they say is the brother of leaders of Mexico's most blood-soaked criminal organization, used the proceeds from their brothers' ill-gotten gains to bankroll his horse-racing stable. (AP Photo/The El Paso Times, Rudy Gutierrez) EL DIARIO OUT; JUAREZ MEXICO OUT;
Jurors deliberated for about two hours Wednesday afternoon in Austin before recessing for the day. Deliberations began after prosecutors and defense attorneys gave their closing arguments in Austin.
Investigators say the case centers on Jose Trevino Morales, who's a brother of two reputed Zeta leaders in Mexico.
The defendants are charged with money laundering conspiracy related to operations of a horse ranch near Lexington, Oklahoma Prosecutors say ranch operators went through $16 million in horse-related expenses in 30 months.
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