A Rockport man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and failure to appear, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Daniel Wayne Dobbs, 43, pleaded guilty on August 20, 2025. U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered Dobbs to serve 240 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
The case began on May 19, 2022, when law enforcement officers observed several traffic violations involving a Nissan Sentra in which Dobbs was a passenger. During a subsequent traffic stop, Dobbs told authorities there was marijuana inside the vehicle. A search led officers to find a black backpack containing six clear plastic bags of a crystal-like substance, syringes, a digital scale, and marijuana.
Tests confirmed the bags contained methamphetamine with a total weight exceeding 3.4 kilograms. Dobbs admitted he had made numerous additional deliveries of methamphetamine.
After being released pending sentencing, Dobbs was arrested again while in possession of another kilogram of methamphetamine and a firearm. He failed to appear for his sentencing hearing but was later located by authorities in San Antonio and taken into custody. He remains detained pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation involved the Drug Enforcement Administration, Victoria County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Patti Hubert Booth prosecuted the case.
