Trucker sentenced to 12 years for cocaine smuggling

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — A 39-year-old man pleaded guilty last week to smuggling more than 6 kilograms of cocaine and was sentenced to 12 years in prison, the El Paso District Attorney’s Office said.

Jose Villa was arrested in October 2023 by a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper following a traffic stop of Villa’s tractor-trailer off Interstate 10 near the Clint exit. According to evidence presented in the case, Villa raised the trooper’s suspicion during the traffic stop and gave verbal consent to search the truck.

During the search, the trooper located six bundles wrapped in electrical tape underneath the bed of the truck. The bundles were covered in engine oil and later tested positive for cocaine, with an aggregate weight of 6.9 kilograms. Villa initially denied knowing about the drugs but later admitted that he agreed to pick up the narcotics at a gas station north of the Ysleta Port of Entry.

“Cases like this demonstrate the very real role our region plays in disrupting the flow of narcotics before they reach communities across the country,” District Attorney James Montoya said. “This sentence reflects a continued commitment to hold those who traffic large quantities of narcotics through El Paso County accountable.”

 

https://www.borderreport.com/news/trucker-sentenced-to-12-years-for-cocaine-smuggling/

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