Man Sentenced For Importing 50 Kilograms Of Meth Into The U.S.
Thursday, December 26, 2024, 10:00 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
MCALLEN, TX. On Thursday, December 19, 2024, Cruz Vargas, Jr., 42, a resident of Illinois, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Randy Crane to 120 months in federal prison, immediately followed by five years of supervised release for his previously guilty plea to federal drug trafficking.
Vargas appeared on March 4, 2023, in U.S. District Court and pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Kilograms or More of Methamphetamine.
According To The U.S. Attorney’s Office
According to U.S. Attorney Alamdat S. Hamdani and charging documents filed with the court, on July 24, 2022, Vargas attempted to enter the United States from Mexico through the Rio Grande Port of Entry, with large containers loaded in his vehicle. Customs and Border Patrol agents referred him to a secondary inspection after he claimed he was carrying vitamins in the containers.
During the secondary inspection, a narcotics detection K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics. A subsequent search by Customs and Border Patrol agents located and seized 50 kilograms of Methamphetamine. During his plea allocution on March 4, 2023, Vargas admitted to knowingly attempting to import the methamphetamine into the United States.
U.S. Attorney Hamdani commended the agents of the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol for the successful prosecution of Vargas.