Mario Guadalupe Saenz, Cocaine Possession, Texas 2015

McAllen, Texas – A McAllen man has been sent to federal prison for using a government vehicle to deliver cocaine. Mario Guadalupe Saenz, 28, pleaded guilty to attempting to possess with intent to distribute approximately nine kilograms of cocaine.

According to court documents, Saenz used a white Dodge Ram registered to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to transport the cocaine. On October 9, 2014, he was observed driving through an opening in the border fence and retrieving a bag from the brush near the Rio Grande River in Hidalgo County.

Saenz then used the government vehicle to transport the bag to a business parking lot in McAllen, where he bragged to an undercover officer that he had waived at the Border Patrol agents during the transport.

Subsequent to the transport, investigators discovered the bag contained approximately 9.39 kilograms of a suspected controlled substance, 1.1 kilograms of which tested positive for the properties of cocaine.

Saenz was subsequently arrested and charged. He has been ordered to federal prison for 135 months, followed by five years of supervised release, due to enhancements for possessing a dangerous weapon and using Facebook to advertise his services.

The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, USDA-Office of Inspector General, and the McAllen Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Rees prosecuted the case.

Saenz will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Mandatory Facts:

Defendant: Mario Guadalupe Saenz
Criminal Charges: Attempting to possess with intent to distribute approximately nine kilograms of cocaine
City and State: McAllen, Texas
Crime Date: October 9, 2014
Sentence: 135 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release

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