A South Texas man will spend over 11 years in federal prison after border authorities found 101 bricks of methamphetamine worth $350,000 in his vehicle during an inspection at the Rio Grande City Port of Entry.
Arnulfo Hinojosa Jr., 43, of Weslaco, pleaded guilty Aug. 1 to importing meth, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani said in a news release Wednesday.
At the time of his plea, Hinojosa admitted he knew he was smuggling narcotics into the United States.
On April 22, Hinojosa claimed he had no illegal drugs in his vehicle when arriving at the Rio Grande City Port of Entry, officials said. He was referred to a secondary inspection, during which a K-9 alerted inspectors to the odor of narcotics. A search found 101 bricks of meth, weighing approximately 140 kilograms, or around 309 pounds, hidden in compartments under the vehicle’s cargo bed, authorities said. The meth had an estimated street value of approximately $350,000.
Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Hinojosa to 11 years and three months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
During the sentencing hearing, the judge was told that Hinojosa played an integral role in smuggling illegal narcotics into the United States. In sentencing Hinojosa, Crane noted traffickers could not succeed without the willing participation of transporters like Hinojosa.
Hinojosa will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Parran III prosecuted.
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