Weslaco Man Sentenced To Prison For Smuggling 101 Bricks Of Meth Into U.S.
Monday, November 4, 2024, 5:45 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
MCALLEN, TX.- On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, Arnulfo Hinojosa, Jr., 43, of Weslaco, Texas, appeared in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Randy Crane to 135 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release for his previously guilty plea of illegally smuggling methamphetamine into the United States.
During Wednesday’s hearing, Judge Crane heard additional evidence that Hinojosa played a significant role in smuggling illicit narcotics across the Southern Border into the United States. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane noted traffickers could not succeed without the willing participation of transporters like Hinojosa.
According to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani, on April 22, 2024, while crossing the border at the Rio Grande City Port of Entry, Hinojosa claimed that he had no illegal drugs in his vehicle. Suspecting there were illicit narcotics in the vehicle, Customs and Border Patrol officers referred Hinojosa to a secondary inspection area.
Border Patrol Agents Find Meth
During a secondary inspection, a K9 unit was alerted to the scent of narcotics. A subsequent search of the vehicle uncovered 101 bricks of methamphetamine weighing approximately 140 kilograms hidden in compartments under the vehicle’s cargo bed. The methamphetamine had an estimated street value of $350,000.
During his August 1, 2024, plea hearing, Hinojosa admitted he knew the methamphetamine was hidden in the vehicle and that he intended to smuggle the narcotics into the interior of the United States.
