South Texan sentenced for trafficking cocaine

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 27-year-old Brownsville man has been ordered to prison for attempting to transport cocaine through a Border Patrol checkpoint, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Jonathan Martinez pleaded guilty Oct. 6, 2021.

Today, U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton ordered him to serve 24 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, the court noted that Martinez “really jumped into the deep end” when he committed this offense, as he had no criminal history.

On Oct. 19, 2020, Martinez arrived at the Border Patrol checkpoint located near Sarita. A K-9 alerted to his vehicle, at which time authorities referred him to secondary inspection.

A further search of his vehicle revealed three bundles of cocaine hidden in an aftermarket metal box and the computer module. They had a combined weight of 2.98 kilograms and have an estimated street value of $75,000.

Martinez was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda L. Gould prosecuted the case.

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