Importer of Crystal Methamphetamine Ordered To Prison

LAREDO, Texas – A 45-year-old man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction for conspiracy to import crystal methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Mexican National Juan Manuel Lozano-Alvarez pleaded guilty May 2, 2017.

Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo handed Lozano-Alvarez a total sentence of 70 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings following the sentence.

On March 1, 2017, Lozano-Alvarez was driving a tractor-trailer and applied for entry into the U.S. from Mexico at the Colombia Solidarity Bridge in Laredo. A subsequent examination of the vehicle revealed a set of nested wooden boxes in the tractor. The boxes contained 13.36 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine. Lozano-Alvarez was also carrying the equivalent of approximately $1,000 in cash.

He 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 conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Giselle S. Guerra prosecuted the case.