An Edinburg man is going to prison after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute over 25 kilograms of meth.
According to a news release, 36-year-old Sarafin Rodriguez Peña was handed a 132-month federal prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release.
Pena pleaded guilty on Aug. 29, 2019.
The release noted that the court acknowledged Peña’s lack of a prior criminal history, but concluded the sentence was warranted considering the large quantity of drugs involved.
Peña was arrested July 7, 2019, at the primary inspection area of the Border Patrol checkpoint near Falfurrias, where a search of his vehicle revealed bundles which appeared to be filled with methamphetamines concealed within the speakers of the car.
According to the news release, laboratory analysis confirmed the substance in the bundles was indeed meth, valued at more than $1.7 million.
Peña remains in custody pending a transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert D. Thorpe Jr. is prosecuting the case.
