BEAUMONT, Texas - A 27-year-old Houston man has pleaded guilty to federal drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston today.
Hugo Alejandro Garcia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Giblin.
According to information presented in court, on Oct. 27, 2016, law enforcement officers pulled over Garcia on Interstate 10 eastbound in Beaumont for a traffic violation. Garcia was extremely nervous and during questioning he provided officers with inconsistencies as to his travel plans. Garcia gave consent to search the vehicle which resulted in officers discovering four bundles wrapped in black electrical tape and concealed under the carpet in the trunk. Garcia admitted to transporting narcotics and stated he was on his way to Louisiana with the drugs. The bundles contained four kilograms of cocaine. Garcia was indicted by a federal grand jury on Nov. 2, 2016.
Under federal statutes, Garcia faces up to 20 years in federal prison at sentencing. The maximum statutory sentence prescribed by Congress is provided here for information purposes, as the sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Rapp.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
