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Texas Border Business
LAREDO, Texas – A 48-year-old Matamoros, Mexico, resident has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to import 10.2 kilograms of meth into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.
J. Guadalupe Martinez-Montelongo pleaded guilty March 3.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Martinez-Montelongo to serve a total of 63 months in prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings following his incarceration.
On Dec. 10, 2019 Martinez-Montelongo applied for entry into the United States at the Lincoln Juarez Bridge. Authorities conducted an investigation of the SUV he was driving, at which time a K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle’s doors. An x-ray scan further revealed bundles of narcotics stuffed behind the door panels which field tested positive for meth.
The bundles weighed approximately 23 pounds and had a street value of approximately $73,000.
Martinez-Montelongo has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Harrison prosecuted the case.
