ALPINE A Mexican national has been sentenced in a federal court in Pecos to 135 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court documents, U.S. Border Patrol agents inspected a vehicle driven by Jorge Alberto Garcia-Gamez, 45, at a checkpoint near Marfa. During the inspection, agents discovered 76 vacuum-sealed bundles containing 37.85 kilograms of methamphetamine in the vehicle’s fuel tank. An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations revealed that Garcia-Gamez was transporting the methamphetamine for a Mexican drug trafficking organization. Garcia-Gamez was arrested Sept. 29, 2023, and pleaded guilty Nov. 17.
“This case is reflective of the essential roles Border Patrol and HSI agents play in the mission to protect our communities across the nation,” U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said in a news release. “Thanks to our partners, this prosecution has taken another drug trafficker off the streets for more than a decade, further disrupting the operations of Mexican cartels.”
“This sentence should serve to dissuade anyone considering smuggling narcotics into our country,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Eric McLoughlin for the HSI El Paso Division, in the release. “HSI special agents will continue to collaborate with our federal, local, and state law enforcement partners to stop the funneling of highly addictive and lethal drugs across the southern border.”
HSI and the USBP investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Greenbaum prosecuted the case.
