McALLEN, Texas – A 44-year-old Mexican citizen has been ordered to prison for possession with intent to distribute 98 kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Gabriel Alejandro Aguirre-Garcia pleaded guilty Aug. 18, 2023.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Aguirre-Garcia to serve 108 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, Aguirre-Garcia is expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Aguirre-Garcia had been working for the drug trafficking organization for at least six months and during that that time, he received cocaine two to three times per week and stored it in a dresser in his daughter’s bedroom prior to delivering it to other individuals. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that he put his family in jeopardy by storing the drugs in his home and how lucky his family was that they were never victims of a home invasion by a rip crew. Judge Alvarez told Aguirre-Garcia that she would have hoped that it crossed his mind how dangerous his involvement this crime was.
On Dec. 6, 2022, law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on a Ford F-150 truck and identified the driver as Aguirre-Garcia. He granted consent to search his vehicle, and a K-9 alerted authorities to a toolbox in the truck for the odor of narcotics. A search of the toolbox revealed 20 bundles of cocaine.
Law enforcement arrived on scene and Aguirre-Garcia also gave consent to search his house located in McAllen. That search led to the discovery of 66 bundles of cocaine in a dresser drawer. Aguirre-Garcia stated he was being paid to store and transport the narcotics.
The 86 bundles of cocaine seized weighed approximately 98 kilograms and have a street value of $1,176,000.
Aguirre-Garcia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the McAllen Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney M. Alexis Garcia prosecuted the case.
