Pharr man sent to prison for importing over $200,000 of cocaine

McALLEN, Texas – A 28-year-old man has been sentenced for importing cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Miguel Angel Trejo pleaded guilty Feb. 21.

U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton has now ordered Trejo to serve 50 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Trejo played an integral part in smuggling illegal narcotics into the United States. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that traffickers could not succeed without the willing participation of transporters like Trejo.

On Nov. 30, 2023, Trejo claimed he had no illegal drugs in his vehicle when arriving at the Rio Grande City port of entry checkpoint.

Authorities referred him to secondary inspection where a K-9 alerted to the odor of narcotics. A subsequent search revealed 17 bricks of cocaine weighing approximately 19 kilograms hidden in compartments under the floorboards of the rear seat. The cocaine had an estimated street value of approximately $230,000.

At the time of his plea, Trejo admitted he knew he was smuggling narcotics and had done so on multiple occasions.

Trejo will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore Parran III prosecuted the case.