Mexican drug smuggler sentenced for poly-drug case at border

McALLEN, Texas – A 58-year-old Mexican national has been ordered to prison for knowingly and intentionally importing cocaine and meth into the United States from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Francisco Garduno Bobadilla pleaded guilty April 29.

Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered Bobadilla to serve 63 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Bobadilla is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that if someone agrees to involve themselves in a crime, even if only moments before it happens, they are still held liable.

Bobadilla arrived at the Hidalgo Port of Entry Feb. 1, 2021, driving a red Dodge Avenger. There, a K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics hidden inside the vehicle.

Authorities sent him to secondary inspection where they soon found bundles of cocaine and meth hidden within the panels of his vehicle.

The drugs had a combined weight of 13 kilograms – 11 and two kilograms for the meth and cocaine, respectively, with an estimated street value over $100,000.

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

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia prosecuted the case.