A Texas man was sentenced on July 16 to nearly four years in prison for smuggling six kilograms of cocaine through Alabama, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr.
U.S. District Judge Annmarie C. Axon sentenced Brandon Azael Lopez, 30, of McAllen, Texas, to 46 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in October 2025 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Williams Jr. said, “Those who use the interstate highways in the Northern District of Alabama to transport narcotics will be held accountable for their actions. We are grateful for the outstanding interdiction work of the 17th Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force.”
Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge John P. Scott said, “Drug traffickers are routinely finding creative ways to hide their illicit cargo, but our partners at the 17th Circuit Judicial Drug Task Force proved that solid investigative work will always defeat these tactics.” Scott continued: “To anyone attempting to use Alabama’s highways as a pipeline for poison: no matter how well you think you’ve hidden your drugs, we will find them, and you will go to federal prison.”
According to court documents, on December 12, 2023, an agent with the 17th Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force stopped Lopez on Interstate 20/59 in Greene County for changing lanes without signaling. During the stop, Lopez appeared nervous and told officers he was traveling with his brother from Texas to Charlotte—first saying South Carolina before agreeing it was North Carolina—for oil company work. After consenting to a search of his vehicle by law enforcement officers, agents discovered a new battery jump box under a seat and two car batteries under the hood showing signs of tampering such as tooling marks and glue residue; one battery felt unusually light when handled by agents who then found six bundles containing one kilogram each of cocaine inside.
The case was investigated by DEA Birmingham Division and the local drug task force; Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany T. Byrd prosecuted.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama serves more than 2.8 million people across Birmingham and Huntsville facilities and covers prosecutions over federal crimes throughout its jurisdiction, including this case involving narcotics trafficking efforts, according to its official website.