Alamdar Hamdani U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas
A Mexican national has been indicted for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the United States, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. Mauricio Sebastian Valdez Rivas, 67, is currently in custody and is expected to appear before a U.S. magistrate judge in Laredo soon.
The federal grand jury issued a two-count indictment related to an alleged unsuccessful attempt to smuggle 16.95 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico into the United States. On February 7, Rivas reportedly drove into the port of entry at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge seeking entry into the country. Authorities conducted an x-ray scan of his vehicle and noticed an anomaly near its front, as per the charges.
During a secondary inspection, law enforcement allegedly discovered a trap door behind the front license plate that concealed 15 bundles of cocaine. The drugs are estimated to have a street value of $10,000.
If convicted, Rivas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and could receive up to life in federal prison along with fines reaching up to $10 million.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew P. Hakala-Finch is prosecuting the case.
It should be noted that an indictment is merely a formal accusation of criminal conduct and not evidence of guilt. A defendant remains presumed innocent unless proven guilty through due process of law.
