South Texas Man Sentenced for Smuggling More Than 30 pounds of Drugs

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 45-year-old Brownsville man has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of possession with the intent to distribute more than a kilogram of methamphetamine and 15 kilograms of marijuana, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Arturo David Aguilar pleaded guilty May 30, 2019.

Today, US. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos ordered Aguilar to serve 120 months in prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. On supervised release for a previous methamphetamine conviction, the court revoked the remainder of that term and ordered he serve an additional six months to be served concurrently.

In handing down the sentence, the court noted Aguilar had just been released from prison when he committed this new offense. On April 6, 2019, Aguilar approached the Falfurrias checkpoint in a Greyhound bus traveling northbound on Interstate Highway 281. The bus was referred to secondary inspection where a K-9 alerted to a black suitcase that belonged to Aguilar. The suitcase contained multiple bundles of methamphetamine and marijuana. 

Authorities ultimately discovered a total of 15 kilograms of marijuana and 1.28 kilograms of methamphetamine, respectively. The drugs have an estimated street value of $100,000.

Aguilar 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 conducted the investigation with the assistance of BP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Neel Kapur is prosecuting the case.