A man from Brownsville, Texas, will serve 10 years in federal prison after cocaine was found hidden in his vehicle at a port of entry in Brownsville.
Rosalio Mendoza, 51, pleaded guilty May 1 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a news release Wednesday.
U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera sentenced Mendoza. After he is released, he will serve five years of supervised release.
The judge warned Mendoza that he could face life in prison if he ever returns to drug trafficking.
Authorities said that on Jan. 26, Mendoza tried entering the United States at the Veterans Port of Entry in Brownsville. Officers there referred him to a secondary inspection.
During the inspection, a K-9 alerted law enforcement to the driver’s side door and then to the center console in the vehicle, the news release said.
Officers removed the console and found a hidden compartment with 14 packages with a combined weight of 12.42 kilograms, or around 27.4 pounds, that tested positive for cocaine.
The drugs had an estimated street value of $155,250, authorities said.
Mendoza will stay in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case with help from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Arreola prosecuted the case.
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