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A man has pleaded guilty to importing about $40,000 worth of cocaine through the Hidalgo port of entry, court records indicate.
Victor Torres, 28, is charged with attempted conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, importing a controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and selling, dispensing or distributing a controlled substance.
Torres pleaded guilty to importing a controlled substance on Friday after agreeing to a plea deal with federal prosecutors. As of Sunday, that document had not been uploaded to online federal court records but the remaining charges against him will likely be dismissed in exchange for his guilty plea.
On July 18, Torres told officials at the Hidalgo port of entry that he did not have any contraband, which led to authorities referring him to a secondary inspection, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
During that inspection, a K-9 alerted officials to the battery area of the vehicle, where a physical search revealed four tape wrapped packages concealed within the battery of the vehicle, according to the criminal complaint.
The packages weighed about nine pounds and have an estimated “street value” of about $40,000, according to the news release.
Torres told HSI special agents and a task force officer that he was hired to transport drugs into the country from Mexico. Torres also said “he expected to be paid $3,000.00 for the smuggling event,” the complaint stated.
Torres, who remains in federal custody, is scheduled to be sentenced in late January.
