Man Sentenced for Trafficking Huge Amount of Meth

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A California man has been ordered to prison following his conviction for his part in a conspiracy to traffic 132 kilograms of methamphetamine through South Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Deandre Bennett, 57, pleaded guilty March 29, 2016. 

Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Hayden Head sentenced Bennett to 135 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by four years of supervised release.

Members of the Kingsville Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force encountered Bennett on Dec. 2, 2015 while he was travelling Northbound on U.S. Highway 77. A search of the tractor-trailer he was operating revealed more than 132 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden inside wooden pallets. Bennett admitted the drugs were headed to Corpus Christi.

The charges were the result of a joint investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Texas Department of Public Safety, Kingsville Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force, Kleberg County District Attorney’s Office, Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany Jensen is prosecuting the case.