Laredoan Gets Nearly 16 Years for Methamphetamine Conviction

LAREDO, Texas – A 36-year-old Laredo man has been handed a significant sentence following his conviction of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Victor Hugo Gonzalez pleaded guilty Aug. 25, 2015.

Today, visiting U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack ordered he serve 188 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.

On July 17, 2016, agents with Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) received information identifying a black Nissan Altima that would be used to transport narcotics. Laredo Police Department (LPD) officers and HSI special agents discovered the vehicle and performed a traffic stop.

Gonzalez was cited for driving without a license and consented to a search of the vehicle. With the assistance of an LPD canine, officers soon discovered two bottles in the backseat of anti-freeze with small crystals forming at the top. Agents tested the bottles and found that both bottles contained liquid methamphetamine with a combined gross weight of 8.55 kilograms.

Gonzalez admitted he picked up the bottles of anti-freeze from a truck driver in an industrial area in Laredo. He further added that he knew the bottles contained narcotics and that he was transporting the bottles to an unknown person.

As part of his sentence, Gonzalez will be required to complete an intensive drug treatment program and a mental health program while in prison.

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

The charges were the result of an investigation conducted by HSI and LPD. Assistant United States Attorney Jorge Vela is prosecuting the case.