Texas men sentenced for roles in transporting 28 kilograms of cocaine

SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that two Texas men were sentenced for conspiring to transport approximately 28 kilograms of powder cocaine.

Ricardo Garcia, 28, and Jesus Christian Martinez, 34, both of Brownsville, Texas, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Elizabeth E. Foote to 72 months and 62 months in prison respectively on one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute powder cocaine.  They were also sentenced to five years of supervised release. According to the December 21, 2015 guilty pleas, Louisiana State Police conducted a traffic stop on February 3, 2015 on a vehicle Garcia and Martinez were traveling in that was heading eastbound on I-20 in Bossier Parish. The vehicle displayed North Carolina license plates but was not registered to either the driver or the passenger.  After further investigation, troopers searched the vehicle and found 28 kilogram-size packages of powder cocaine inside of a speaker box in the trunk.

The DEA-Shreveport Office and Louisiana State Police-Troop G conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Allison D. Bushnell prosecuted the case.