Career offender sentenced after found passed out in vehicle

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 36-year-old Corpus Christi resident has been sentenced for being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession with intent to distribute meth, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Adolfo Tovar pleaded guilty Dec. 1, 2022.

U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos has now ordered Tovar to serve 200 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted Tovar’s serious and significant criminal history, including his attempted robbery and second-degree robbery convictions. 

On the late evening of April 10, 2021, a concerned citizen reported a vehicle parked crooked in a parking space with a male driver who appeared to be unconscious at a local gas station.

Authorities approached the driver, later identified as Tovar. They asked him to exit the vehicle and to provide identification. When he did so, Tovar pulled out two blue baggies typically used as packaging for illegal narcotics which fell to the ground.

Further investigation resulted in the discovery of other drug paraphernalia visible inside Tovar’s SUV. Law enforcement searched his vehicle and found meth, scales and baggies in the center console and a firearm under the driver’s seat.

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

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation with assistance from Corpus Christi Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Dunn prosecuted the case.