|
Only have a minute? Listen instead
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
An Edinburg man was sentenced Friday after being convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute nearly 441 pounds of methamphetamine, according to a news release from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Daren Lynn Lopez, 51, pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2022, and has now been sentenced to serve 16 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release.
During the hearing, the court heard of Lopez’s long criminal history that includes three prior felonies.
In March 2022, Lopez arranged for the transportation of a tractor trailer containing nearly 441 pounds of meth to be imported from Mexico, which successfully entered the country and was taken to Lopez’s truck yard in Edinburg, according to the release.
“Lopez then coordinated and hired a driver to transport the trailer to Dallas,” the release said. “Law enforcement intervened, stopped and seized the trailer on its way north.”
Authorities found a false compartment spanning the entire roof of the trailer where they found “hundreds” of bricks of meth, which were estimated to have a street value of $1 million.
Lopez is to remain in custody pending his transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future.
