Deandre Bennett Gets 135 Months for Hauling 132 Kilo Meth Load

Deandre Bennett, a 57-year-old from California, is headed to federal prison after being caught with 132 kilograms of methamphetamine stuffed inside wooden pallets in a tractor-trailer on U.S. Highway 77. The massive drug haul, one of the larger interdictions in South Texas in recent years, was uncovered during a targeted enforcement stop by local narcotics authorities.

On December 2, 2015, members of the Kingsville Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force flagged Bennett’s rig during a northbound sweep near Kingsville. What started as a routine traffic inquiry quickly turned into a major drug seizure when agents discovered the hidden stash. Bennett admitted the shipment was bound for distribution in Corpus Christi, sealing his connection to the smuggling operation.

Bennett pleaded guilty on March 29, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The plea came after evidence mounted from multiple law enforcement agencies involved in the probe. No co-defendants were named in the final sentencing documents, though investigators confirmed the operation was part of a broader trafficking network.

Sentencing was handed down today by Senior U.S. District Judge Hayden Head, who ordered Bennett to serve 135 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. The judge cited the sheer volume of the narcotics and the threat posed to public safety as key factors in the decision.

The case was the product of a multi-agency dragnet involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Kleberg County District Attorney’s Office, and the Kingsville Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force. Coordination between local and federal units proved critical in intercepting the shipment before it hit the streets.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Jensen prosecuted the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office under Kenneth Magidson’s tenure. Authorities continue to monitor trafficking patterns through South Texas corridors, where tractor-trailers remain a favored method for moving bulk narcotics across state lines.