Mercedes Man Gets Hefty Sentence for Transporting Cocaine

McALLEN, Texas – A 37-year-old Mercedes resident has been ordered to federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute approximately 84 kilograms of cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Martin Perez pleaded guilty March 31, 2016.

Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Janice Graham Jack ordered Perez to serve a total of 262 months in prison to be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, Judge Jack noted his previous conviction of possessing with the intent to distribute marijuana in 2005 and his prior aggravated assault conviction.

On Feb. 1, 2016, Perez was driving a tractor-trailer in Kleberg County when he was stopped for a traffic violation. A search of the trailer he was hauling resulted in the discovery of approximately 84 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a compartment in the bed of the trailer.

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

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Leonard prosecuted the case.