An Edinburg man will serve a more than seven-year prison term for his role in a cocaine conspiracy, according to a news release from the Southern District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Earlier this week, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales sentenced Ray Anthony Almaroad to an 87-month federal prison term for his role in an incident in November 2020, court records show.
At the sentencing hearing, Almaroad’s use of a tractor-trailer hauling a legitimate truckload of limes was noted by the court. Almaroad, prosecutors alleged, used it as a decoy for the concealed compartment containing more than 100 cocaine bundles that were later discovered.
Almaroad was charged alongside Luis Elfego Ramirez, Almaroad’s brother-in-law, who drove the tractor trailer to the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita.
The 36-year-old Almaroad was the passenger and registered owner of the vehicle.
Authorities noted weld marks on the diesel tank and discovered a custom-made concealed compartment within the fuel tank. Authorities then found and seized 110 bundles of cocaine, with a total net weight of 109 kilograms, court records show.
Almaroad, who has been on a $75,000 bond, was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a future date.
Ramirez, 49, of Edinburg, had also pleaded guilty and previously received 120 months imprisonment.
