Source: Office of United States Attorneys
LAREDO, Texas – A 31-year-old resident of Laredo has been sentenced for illegally importing over 836 kilograms of methamphetamine into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
Cornelio Aguilar pleaded guilty July 9, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison ordered him to serve the 30-year sentence to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard about Aguilar’s violent criminal history, including prior convictions for murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. In imposing the sentence, Judge Ellison noted that this was a serious offense.
The investigation revealed Aguilar imported two loads of methamphetamine into the United States using tractor trailers between January and June 2022. Hidden inside the bags of charcoal he was hauling were bundles of methamphetamine.
Aguilar has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility in the near future.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Chamberlin prosecuted the case.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.