ALPINE, Texas - An El Paso man was sentenced Monday in a federal court in Alpine to 78 months in prison for one count of conspiracy to possess with to distribute cocaine and a second count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
According to court documents, Jaime Gabriel Juarez, 50, was pulled over on Interstate 20 in Reeves County on Dec. 2, 2022. A search of his vehicle revealed multiple rectangular-shaped packages wrapped in plastic and resembling packages typically associated with kilogram quantities of narcotics. The substances in the packages tested positive for properties and characteristics of cocaine. Juarez admitted he was transporting the 2.5 kilograms of cocaine to Odessa.
Juarez was found guilty in a jury trial on April 18.
“I’m grateful to our law enforcement partners for their outstanding work in this case," said U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. “Their efforts led to the arrest and conviction of a drug smuggler who is now spending the next six years in prison."
“We want the communities where we live to be safer and healthier," said Special Agent in Charge Greg Millard of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “Therefore, we will not tire of pursuing those who manufacture and distribute illicit narcotics."
The DEA and Reeves County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Greenbaum prosecuted the case.