McALLEN, Texas – A 35-year-old U.S. citizen residing in Monterrey, Mexico, has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of smuggling two kilograms of cocaine and six kilograms of meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
A federal jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before convicting, Nestor Alan Garcia before returning a guilty verdict Sept. 22, 2022, on all six counts as charged following a four-day trial.
Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Garcia to serve 144 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard arguments on whether Garcia had a larger role in the conspiracy beyond his participation as a transporter. The court heard that Garcia should receive an appropriate sentence based on the amount and purity of the drugs he and others smuggled into the country.
According to the testimony, Garcia attempted to enter the Hidalgo Port of Entry in a taxi on May 13, 2022. He claimed he was going to a party in McAllen and had a box of “pulparindo” candy, puppies and various meat products. Authorities referred Garcia to secondary inspection. There, a search of the box of candy revealed approximately 6.2 kilograms of meth and 2.08 kilograms of cocaine.
Law enforcement testified Garcia had attempted to hide the narcotics in a box of candy and later lied when he claimed he did not know how the drugs had been placed in the box or came into his custody. He coordinated the smuggling of the narcotics with his mother for days ahead of the smuggling event at the Hidalgo Port of Entry.
The defense attempted to convince the jury Garcia had no knowledge of the drugs and was simply doing a favor for his mother. The jury did not believe those claims and found him guilty as charged.
He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliza Carmen Rodriguez and Lee Fry prosecuted the case.
