Rio Grande City Man Gets 15 Years For Transporting Meth In A Shampoo Bottle

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Pedro Guerra-Ruiz, 34, of Rio Grande City, has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for possession with intent to distribute approximately 1.51 kilograms of methamphetamine, United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced today. Guerra pleaded guilty April 29, 2013.

Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, who accepted the guilty plea, handed Guerra a total sentence of 180 months.  He will be required to serve a term of five years of supervised release following completion of the prison term.

Guerra was arrested on Feb. 1, 2013, at the United States Border Patrol checkpoint in Sarita as a passenger on an El Expresso bus. Border Patrol (BP) agents boarded the bus to conduct immigration inspections of its occupants and Guerra was observed carrying a backpack which contained an conspicuously altered shampoo bottle. A BP service canine alerted to the presence of contraband in the shampoo bottle which, upon further inspection, revealed an unusually watery consistency uncharacteristic of shampoo. The substance was tested and confirmed to be methamphetamine with a weight determined to be 1.51 kilograms. 

At the time of his guilty plea, Guerra admitted he had agreed to transport the methamphetamine to Houston in exchange for $1000.

Guerra will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
  
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with the assistance of BP and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sam Brown IV.