Texas Border Business
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas
LAREDO, Texas – A 45-year-old U.S. citizen who resided in Mexico has been ordered to federal prison for drug smuggling, after falsely claiming he was traveling to see dying grandmother.
Jimmy Vasquez Gonzalez pleaded guilty Sept. 2, 2025.
U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen has now ordered Gonzalez to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
On May 3, 2025, Gonzalez entered the United States from Mexico driving a Ford Edge with Walter Diaz Nino in the front passenger seat. He approached the Lincoln Juarez Bridge in Laredo and provided a negative declaration. However, a preliminary examination detected an anomaly in the vehicle.
At secondary inspection, a K-9 alerted, and authorities discovered 15 bundles within the floorboard of the backseat which field tested positive for cocaine.
Gonzalez claimed they were headed to Houston to pick up his sister to take her to see their dying grandmother. The investigation revealed his relative, whom Nino claimed was his girlfriend, was not in Houston and the story was false. They were actually intending to deliver narcotics. Nino expected to be paid $4,500 upon their return to Mexico and promised a portion of the proceeds to Vasquez.
The total weight was 10.17 kilograms with an estimated street value of over $140,000. Further investigation also revealed this was the pair’s second time smuggling narcotics.
Nino, 41, a Mexican citizen with a visa allowing him to enter the United States, had also pleaded guilty and was previously sentenced to 130 months in federal prison. He is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentence.
Both have been and will remain in custody.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Manuel A. Cardenas Jr. prosecuted the case.
Updated January 22, 2026
