Mission Man Sentenced to Prison for Cocaine

McALLEN, Texas – A 25-year-old Mission man has received a 10-year prison sentence for transporting cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Mario Alberto Garrido pleaded guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute 23 kilograms of cocaine on Nov. 8, 2016. 

Today, U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa sentenced Garrido to 120 months in prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.  

On June 2, 2016, authorities stopped Garrido for a traffic violation in Mission. A canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle, at which time law enforcement discovered approximately 23 kilograms of cocaine in a hidden compartment in the trunk of the car he was driving.

Garrido admitted he had been involved in transporting and distributing cocaine since he was 12 years old. 

Garrido has been and will remain in custody since his arrest where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. 

The FBI and Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Leonard is prosecuting the case.