LAREDO, Texas - A 40-year-old Laredo man has been ordered to prison following his conviction for assaulting a United States Border Patrol (BP) agent and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. A federal jury sitting in Laredo convicted Jorge Rocha after only 20 minutes of deliberation on July 18, 2016.
Today, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo, who presided over the trial, ordered Quintanilla to serve a total of 235 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.
On Jan. 29, 2016, Rocha had been carrying a concealed bag when a BP agent approached him near the River Drive Mall. According to testimony presented to the jury at trial, Rocha fled when the agent approached and identified himself. The agent pursued Rocha, who discarded a bag concealed underneath his shirt. When the agent caught up to him, Rocha resisted arrest, striking the agent on the face and head. The agent suffered lacerations and bruises during Rocha’s attack. Rocha was forcibly subdued after other agents responded to the call for assistance.
After agents apprehended him, investigators retrieved the bag Rocha dropped while attempting to flee. According to testimony at trial, the bag contained approximately 5.9 pounds of methamphetamine, valued at $188,890.
Rocha will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
BP and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mike Eaton and Julian Castaneda prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
