Theodore “Teddy” Rios, 38, of Big Spring, pleaded guilty Wednesday to two first-degree felony indictments charging him with delivery of cocaine, District Attorney Hardy L. Wilkerson said, and received identical 20-year sentences.

The charges, which carried a maximum possible punishment of life in prison, will be served concurrently. Rios must serve at least a third of the sentence before becoming eligible for parole.

Rios was indicted by a Howard County grand jury in May for delivering cocaine to a Big Spring Police Department Drug Task Force officer earlier this year.

The two instances, both of which occurred in March, occurred on the west end of Big Spring. The total amount of cocaine exceeded 17 grams, the indictments alleged.

“The undercover officer had become acquainted with Rios and, over the course of the investigation, the defendant sold a significant amount of cocaine to the officer,” Wilkerson said, adding that the transactions were all recorded.

This marks the second time Rios has been convicted of felony drug charges. In 1990, he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and was eventually sentenced to two years in prison, court records show.

Wilkerson said Wednesday's conviction served two purposes.

“First and foremost, it serves as ratification of the task force and that particular undercover operation,” he said. “While we were focusing on Rios (Wednesday) ... through the task force, we've been able to convict literally dozens of individuals for narcotics activity.

“In addition, Mr. Rios and his associates have been mentioned prominently in several instances of violence around the community,” Wilkerson added. “We believe this may significantly impact the gang violence we've had the past several months.”

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it