Miguel Angel Trejo, Cocaine Importation, Texas 2023

Miguel Angel Trejo, a 28-year-old man from Pharr, Texas, has been sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for importing over $200,000 of cocaine.

Trejo pleaded guilty to the crime on February 21, 2023, and was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton. The court heard additional evidence that Trejo played an integral part in smuggling illegal narcotics into the United States.

On November 30, 2023, Trejo arrived at the Rio Grande City port of entry checkpoint, claiming he had no illegal drugs in his vehicle. However, authorities referred him to secondary inspection, where a K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics.

A subsequent search revealed 17 bricks of cocaine weighing approximately 19 kilograms hidden in compartments under the floorboards of the rear seat. The cocaine had an estimated street value of approximately $230,000.

Trejo admitted that he knew he was smuggling narcotics and had done so on multiple occasions at the time of his plea.

Trejo will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Parran III prosecuted the case.

Trejo's sentence serves as a warning to those involved in the willing participation of traffickers, as the court noted that traffickers could not succeed without the participation of transporters like Trejo.

Trejo's case is a reminder of the ongoing struggle against the importation of narcotics into the United States and the importance of continued efforts to combat this crime.

The case is a result of the ongoing collaboration between Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations to combat narcotics trafficking along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/pharr-man-sent-prison-importing-over-200000-cocaine