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By Pete Kotz in drugs
Wednesday, Sep. 9 2009 @ 3:01PM
paris_hilton_smoking_weed.jpg
Paris Hilton demonstrates how marijuana is ingested
​For the aspiring criminal looking to launch a drug smuggling venture, there's no finer role model than the  Jimenez-Acevedo ring of Houston, our featured entrepreneurs in this week's edition of The Savvy Criminal.

According to U.S. Customs, 26 people -- most of them related -- began running a pot smuggling ring from Mexico in 1986. With a few well-placed bribes to Mexican inspectors, they imported tractor-trailer loads to America with the weed hidden in secret apartments. Investigators say this was no small-time enterprise. Confiscated books indicate the Jimenez-Acevedo gang brought at least 250,000 pounds into Houston over 23 years, enough to get a reggae band high for more than a week.

But the key to its longevity was tight-knit relationships. Four Jimenez brothers were charged with running the operation, along with two Acevedo brothers. And when they were arrested, it proved to be a family reunion in jail, as aunts, nephews and cousins arrived in handcuffs. Moreover, the group steadfastly avoided bling and worked simple jobs that didn't arouse suspicions. Among those nabbed were a truck driver, a mason, a construction worker, a firefighter, and an auto mechanic.