McALLEN, Texas – A 31-year-old Texan has been sent to prison following his conviction of smuggling heroin and meth, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Gerardo Jimenez pleaded guilty May 12.
Today, U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered Jimenez to serve 188 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding Jimenez’s smuggling attempt and how the large amounts of heroin and meth Jimenez smuggled were a danger to the community. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that drug transportation is a serious offense and that Jimenez willingly participated as a transporter on behalf of the cartel.
At the time of his plea, Jimenez admitted that on Nov. 3, 2020, he knowingly entered the Hidalgo Border Patrol (BP) Port of Entry with drugs in his car.
Upon inspection, a K-9 alerted authorities to the hood of Jimenez’s vehicle. There, they discovered four kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of 100% pure meth concealed in the battery of his car.
The drugs had an estimated street value of $654,000.
Jimenez 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 Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliza Carmen Rodriguez prosecuted the case.