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BROWNSVILLE — A 28-year-old San Benito man is headed for federal prison after a jury convicted him of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to smuggle a shipment, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani stated.
On Jan. 20, a federal jury convicted Baltazar Reyes-Herrera after deliberating about seven hours following a two-day trial.
On April 25, U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ordered Reyes-Herrera serve 100 months in federal prison, a sentence which would immediately precede four years of supervised release.
At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence showing Reyes-Herrera was taking 18 bundles of cocaine to Mississippi for payment of $10,000, planning to bring back the money to buy 19.52 kilograms of cocaine.
“In handing down the sentence, the court noted the amount of cocaine and the harm it brings to individuals in the United States,” a press release stated.
Background
Close to midnight Oct. 19, 2020, Reyes-Herrera arrived in a tractor trailer at the U.S. Border Patrol’s checkpoint in Sarita, where he told authorities he was driving to Houston to pick up a truck from an auction.
Following a K-9 alert, law enforcement officers crawled underneath the tractor, spotting hand prints on the bolts holding the rear differential in place.
Reyes-Herrera denied knowledge of the 18 bundles of cocaine concealed in the hollow differential.
Officials estimated the shipment’s street value at $500,000.
According to trial evidence, Reyes-Herrera, who didn’t have valid travel logs for the trip nor a valid commercial license, purchased truck insurance two hours before arriving at the checkpoint.
Reyes-Herrera will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility whose location is being determined.
