A 42-year-old resident of Illinois has been sentenced for importing methamphetamine into the United States, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Cruz Vargas, Jr., who pleaded guilty on March 4, 2023, was ordered by Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane to serve a sentence of 120 months in federal prison. This will be followed by five years of supervised release.

The incident occurred on July 24, 2022, when Vargas attempted to enter the United States from Mexico at the Rio Grande Port of Entry with large containers in his vehicle. He claimed these containers held vitamins. However, law enforcement referred him for a secondary inspection after a narcotics detection K-9 alerted authorities to the vehicle. Subsequent tests confirmed that the containers contained methamphetamine.

Vargas admitted to transporting drugs at the time he entered his plea. The methamphetamine weighed over 50 kilograms.

Vargas will remain in custody until he is transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, which will be determined soon.

The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan prosecuted the case.