Stash House Operator Sentenced To More Than 10 Years In Federal Prison

McALLEN, Texas – Martin Saucedo-Mata, 48, of Pharr, has been ordered to prison for 121 months for storing cocaine at his residence, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Saucedo-Mata pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on Oct. 3, 2013.

On June 20, 2013, federal and state agents and local task force officers followed a taxi cab after it made entry into the United States from Mexico to the residence of Saucedo-Mata in Pharr. After the cab departed, Saucedo-Mata gave agents permission to search the residence, at which time they found 25 bundles of cocaine weighing approximately 28.6 kilograms.

At the sentencing hearing today, it was determined Saucedo-Mata had previously stored cocaine at his residence during the week prior to his arrest. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez took that fact into consideration as well as his prior criminal history and handed him the 121-month-term, noting it was a poor decision on his part to commit this serious crime. Judge Alvarez also ordered him to pay a $5,000 fine to serve a five-year-term of supervised release after his incarceration. A legal resident alien from Mexico, Saucedo-Mata is expected to face deportation proceedings following completion of his prison term. 

Saucedo-Mata had been in custody since his arrest on June 20, 2013, where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Texas Department of Public Safety with assistance from the City of Pharr Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Juan F. Alanis is prosecuting.