TEXAS MAN CONVICTED ON COCAINE CHARGES

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on June 18, 2009, LUIS GALVAN-MENA, age 47, of Fort Worth, Texas, was convicted by a jury of Possession With the Intent to Distribute Cocaine following trial in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois.

According to the evidence presented at trial, GALVAN-MENA was arrested by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Department on December 14, 2007, after deputies discovered approximately 70 kilograms (140 pounds) of cocaine mixed in with cargo that the over-the-road truck driver was carrying in the trailer of his semi tractor-trailer. The incident occurred on Interstate 70 in Effingham County.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 16, 2009. GALVAN-MENA is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a fine of up to $4,000,000, and a term of supervised release of at least 5 years.

The investigation was conducted by the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Simonson.