SALINENO MAN SENTENCED FOR MARIJUANA TRAFFICKING AND BEING A FELON IN POSSESSION OF A FIREARM

(McALLEN, Texas) – Luis Roberto Garcia, of Salineno, Texas, has been sentenced to 188 months imprisonment for possessing with intent to distribute approximately 288 kilograms of marijuana and 120 months for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm in and affecting interstate commerce, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. The sentences, imposed by U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa at a hearing held today in federal court in McAllen, are to be served concurrently and followed by concurrent terms of four years for the drug charge and a three years for the firearm charge.

Garcia, 35, pleaded guilty to both federal felony offenses in February 2008, admitting that on Sept, 4, 2007, he had possessed with intent to distribute approximately 288 kilograms of marijuana and that he had also possessed a firearm in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce while being a convicted felon. Upon receiving consent to search Garcia’s residence and its surrounding property, agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Starr County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (HIDTA) discovered controlled substances concealed within the tall grass near the defendant’s residence and a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 caliber revolver inside the residence. In all, agents seized 55 bundles of marijuana.

In arriving at the lengthy prison terms, the court took into consideration that Garcia’s criminal history fell within the career offender provision of the sentencing guidelines, as he had previously been convicted of burglary of a habitation in 1994 and aggravated robbery in 2001.

Garcia, who has been in custody without bond since his arrest, will remain in federal custody to serve his sentence.

Agents with ICE and the Starr County HIDTA Task Force investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Linda Requenez Rossborough.

 

 

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