TAMPA, Fla. — After attempting to flee during a traffic stop, a Texas man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute cocaine during an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa and the Bradenton Police Department.

Julio Deleon, 38, of Brownsville, Texas, faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison.

According to court documents, on Jan. 25, officers from the Bradenton Police Department attempted to stop a vehicle in which Deleon was the passenger. After the vehicle stopped, Deleon fled, but he was quickly apprehended. During a search of the vehicle, officers located a backpack with just under 5 kilograms of cocaine on the floor near the front passenger seat, where Deleon had been sitting.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael R. Kenneth.