McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A Weslaco man who pleaded guilty to importing 101 bricks of the drug meth has been sentenced to 135 months in prison.
Arnulfo Hinojosa Jr., 43, admitted to smuggling illegal narcotics across the border from Mexico into South Texas.
U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Hinojosa to serve just over 11 years in prison, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said Wednesday.
During the hearing at federal court in McAllen, Crane noted that drug traffickers could not succeed without the willing participation of transporters like Hinojosa.
Hinojosa was arrested after arriving at the Rio Grande City-Camargo International Bridge in Starr County on April 22. He told U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers he had no illegal drugs in his vehicle, but a K-9 unit alerted officers and his vehicle was sent to secondary inspection. There, a search found 101 bricks of meth totaling 140 kilograms in hidden compartments under the vehicle’s cargo bed, Hamdani said.
The drugs have an estimated street value of $350,000.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assisted in the case.
“HSI, alongside our federal partners, have an unwavering commitment to protect our South Texas community by tenaciously pursuing those responsible for importing dangerous drugs,” HSI San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee said.
“This investigation and prosecution are a perfect example of collaboration across agencies and throughout the country, highlighting our collective effort to safeguard our communities from the scourge of illegal drugs,” Larrabee said.
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