Drug Smuggler Sentenced

LAREDO, Texas - A 53-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute 11.05 kilograms of cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Secundino Delgado-Arreola, from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, pleaded guilty June 6, 2016.

Today, U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen sentenced Delgado-Arreola to 50 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceeding following his release from prison.

On March 16, 2016, Delgado-Arreola took part in a conspiracy to smuggle 11.05 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the United States. He was driving a tractor truck with Mexican plates. Inside the vehicle was a blue bag in a cardboard box which contained 10 bundles totaling 11.05 kilograms of cocaine.

He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney José Angel Flores Jr. prosecuted the case.