A Peñitas man accused of being part of a drug conspiracy received his punishment Monday, court records show.
A federal judge sentenced Jorge Tavarez to a 60-month sentence for his role in a scheme to move 10 kilos of cocaine from the Mission to North Carolina four years ago, according to the criminal complaint filed against him in May 2018.
The investigation into Tavarez began in earnest in November 2017 after a cooperating defendant said that in April of 2017, a load of approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine destined for North Carolina had been seized by law enforcement authorities in Alabama.
“CD#1 identified Tavarez as the individual who assisted in the local transportation of the cocaine prior to it leaving the Rio Grande Valley,” the complaint stated.
In January 2018, Tavarez met with a Special Agent and Task Force Officer who interviewed him.
He admitted to an incident in April 2017 where he was instructed to drive to a warehouse located in Edinburg.
“… He was given a cardboard box, which contained approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine and was instructed to transport the cocaine to (a man) who resides in Mission, Texas,” the document stated. “Tavarez told agents that after taking the cocaine to the residence, Tavarez left.”
He told agents several days later he was contacted and told that the cocaine had been seized by authorities in Alabama.
“Tavarez was provided documentation purported to document that the load had been seized,” the complaint stated.
Agents subsequently received a copy of the purported documentation of the seizure and determined it to be fake, the complaint stated.
The 39-year-old man originally pleaded not guilty to the charges, but entered a guilty plea on May 2, 2018 — effectively avoiding a jury trial, records show.
In addition to his 60-month sentence, the court set four years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term, records show.
