United States Attorney Richard W. Moore of the Southern District of Alabama announced that Victor Estrada, 48, of Laredo, Texas, was sentenced in federal court for his participation in an interstate drug distribution organization. Court documents showed that Estrada and his co-defendant Linda Lancon, 29, also of Laredo, were stopped in a bobtail tractor on Interstate 65 in Mobile County, by Saraland police. The officers found 35 kilograms of cocaine in a cardboard box behind the passenger seat in the cab after a drug detecting dog gave a positive indication for the odor of narcotics. Officers later discovered a tracking device in the tractor, the records of which showed several prior trips made by the vehicle to the Atlanta, Georgia, area, which was the intended destination for the drugs seized in this case. Estrada pled guilty to the charge of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine in March of 2019.
United States District Court Judge Terry F. Moorer imposed a sentence of 30 years imprisonment, finding that Estrada was a career criminal with a high risk of recidivism. The judge also found that Estrada’s history of domestic violence also established that he was a threat to the community. Judge Moorer ordered that Estrada will serve 5 years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment, during which he will undergo drug abuse testing and treatment. No fine was imposed but Estrada was ordered to pay $100 in special mandatory assessments.
The case was investigated by the Saraland Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office by Assistant United States Attorney Gloria Bedwell.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
