Wilivaldo Sanchez-Mendez, Meth Smuggling, Texas 2015

LAREDO, Texas – A 23-year-old man has been ordered to serve 96 months in federal prison for his role in smuggling nearly nine kilograms of crystal methamphetamine.

Wilivaldo Sanchez-Mendez, a 23-year-old legal permanent resident from Mexico who resided in Laredo, pleaded guilty to possession of nearly nine kilograms of crystal methamphetamine on April 30, 2015.

Sanchez-Mendez was apprehended on the evening of Feb. 13, 2015, at the Border Patrol checkpoint north of Laredo after a canine alerted to the possibility of drugs hidden within the gas tank.

Agents removed nine PVC pipes concealed within the vehicle’s gasoline tank that contained a crystalline material which field-tested positive for crystal methamphetamine. The net weight was measured at 8.861 kilograms - 19.5 pounds - and had an estimated street value of $950,400.

Sanchez-Mendez admitted he was working for persons in Mexico and moving narcotics to Dallas. He claimed to have made at least three similar trips in the past, receiving payment of approximately $4,000 for each trip.

Senior U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen ordered Sanchez-Mendez to serve 96 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Sanchez-Mendez has been in custody since his arrest on Feb. 13, 2015, and will remain there until transfer to a Bureau of Prisons facility. The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/meth-smuggler-heads-federal-prison