Texas Man Transporting Cocaine Sentenced in Federal Court

SHREVEPORT, La. – Emilio Rodriguez, 28, from Channelview, Texas, was sentenced today for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown. Rodriguez was sentenced by United States District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to 60 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release.

According to evidence presented to the court, on November 17, 2021, a Louisiana State Police trooper stopped a vehicle bearing Texas license plates on Interstate 20 in the Western District of Louisiana for committing a traffic violation. After stopping the vehicle, the trooper approached the front passenger side of the vehicle and Rodriguez rolled down both front windows. He was the sole driver and occupant. The vehicle, however, was registered to another individual. Rodriguez admitted to the trooper that he did not have a Texas driver’s license but provided a Texas identification card.

While talking with Rodriguez, the trooper noticed a strong smell of air freshener coming from the vehicle and when asking questions about his travel itinerary, became suspicious of the story Rodriguez provided. A K-9 officer and his dog arrived on the scene and the dog positively alerted to the vehicle. The troopers searched the vehicle and found vacuum-sealed packages of brick-shaped items suspected to be cocaine hidden in the side panel on the passenger side of the dashboard. Agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assisted, and the drugs were seized and sent to the laboratory to be analyzed. The lab results confirmed that the seized substance was 3,003.9 grams of a mixture or substance containing cocaine.

The case was investigated by the DEA and Louisiana State Police and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary J. Mudrick.

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