Brownsville Man Sentenced To Prison For Cocaine Smuggling At Border
Friday, October 4, 2024, 9:00 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
BROWNSVILLE, TX.- On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, Rosalio Mendoza appeared in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Rolando Olvera to 120 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release for his conviction on a narcotics offense.
According to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, on May 1, 2024, Mendoza appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine.
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In handing down the sentence on Wednesday, Judge Olvera noted the severity of drug case punishments and admonished Mendoza that should he ever return to the drug business, he could be facing potential life in federal prison.
According To Documents Filed With The Court
According to documents filed with the court, on January 26, 2024, Mendoza applied for entry into the United States at the Veteran’s Port of Entry in Brownsville, Texas, when Border Patrol agents referred him to a secondary inspection.
During the secondary inspection, a K-9 alerted Border Patrol agents to the driver’s side door of Mendoza’s vehicle and eventually to the center console. Border Patrol agents removed the console and, found a hidden compartment, and discovered 14 packages that tested positive for cocaine.
The illicit narcotics had a combined weight of 12.42 kilograms with an estimated street value of $155,250.
