After a two-day trial, a federal jury found a Mission man guilty of drug conspiracy and possession charges, records show.
On Tuesday, after less than an hour of deliberations, a federal jury found Eugenio Perez Jr. guilty of these charges
According to the testimony, authorities discovered a little more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine while investigating a drag racing incident that resulted in a two-car crash, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.
During the trial, which began Monday, jurors heard from three witnesses; one of whom was a local police officer who testified how Perez crashed into an SUV pulling out of a parking lot.
The officer approached Perez after observing him pull a bag from his truck’s cab and place it into the bed of the truck. He instructed Perez not to take anything from the vehicle but soon observed Perez’s daughter arrive on the scene.
At that time, the officer stated Perez’s daughter took the bag from the bed of the truck and placed it in her car, according to testimony.
The officer further testified that he stopped her from leaving the area and asked her to show him what was inside the bag. The daughter opened the bag which was found to contain approximately 1.6 kilograms of meth.
“U. Perez then opened the gray bag and pulled out a clear plastic bag which contained a white crystal like substance,” the complaint against Perez stated.
Perez’s defense attempted to convince the jury that law enforcement had rushed to judgment and did not perform an adequate and thorough enough investigation to convict Perez. The jury disagreed and found him guilty as charged.
Perez will be due back in court on July 27 for sentencing. He faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison as well as a possible $10 million fine.
Previously released on bond, the 49-year-old man was taken into custody following the sentencing pending the sentencing hearing.
