CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A massive cocaine smuggling operation has been brought to a close with the sentencing of two San Antonio residents, Darin Josep Fox, 24, and Jacob Escalante, 25, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.
On October 31, 2016, Fox and Escalante admitted to their roles in smuggling 59 kilograms of cocaine, worth an estimated $4.6 million, into the United States.
The pair was stopped at the Sarita checkpoint on Highway 77 on June 13, 2016, while driving a Kenworth Tractor with Escalante as passenger. A service K9 alerted to the presence of contraband, and upon examination, agents discovered and removed 59 square bundles wrapped in black tape containing cocaine from a void located between the frame rails.
The estimated value of the cocaine seized in this case would have had a significant impact and harm on the community, according to Senior U.S. District Judge Hayden Head, who handed down the sentence. Fox and Escalante were ordered to each serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Border Patrol conducted the investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Lance Watt prosecuting the case. Fox and Escalante will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Defendant: Darin Josep Fox, Jacob Escalante
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine
City and State: San Antonio, Texas
Exact Date: October 31, 2016 (sentencing)
Sentence or Outcome: 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release
Dollar Amounts: $4.6 million (estimated value of cocaine)
Related Federal Cases
- Darin Josep Fox, Cocaine Smuggling, Texas 2016 · Ohio
- Shannell Gosine, Cocaine Trafficking, Texas 2023 · Tennessee
- Micol Jauron Sears, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine, Texas 2014 · Texas
- Shane Dwayne Hadnot, Cocaine Deal, Texas 2013 · Ohio
- Lakeva Shillette Hill, Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana and Crack Cocaine, Texas 2013 · Texas
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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