A 47-year-old Donna man has received a significant sentence following his conviction of conspiracy to traffic meth, announced Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Agent in Charge Daniel C. Comeaux, Houston Division and U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Cesar Rocha pleaded guilty March 30, 2022.

Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales ordered Rocha to serve 228 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that the meth had been smuggled in from Mexico before Rocha took possession and moved it further north. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Rocha’s prior convictions for similar offenses, possession with intent to distribute and delivery of controlled substances in Tennessee and Alabama, respectively.

On Nov. 28, 2021, a K-9 alerted law enforcement to specific luggage on a Greyhound bus that was traveling from Harlingen to Corpus Christi. Upon opening the bag, they found a wrapped bundle containing nearly one kilogram of meth.

Surveillance footage revealed Rocha had carried the bag in from the bus station in Harlingen. He also purchased a ticket for another individual and put that person on the bus with the bag containing the drugs. Authorities discovered 12 other bus trips matching the same pattern that occurred from December 2020 to November of 2021.

Rocha will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Border Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Martin prosecuted the case.

Original source can be found here.