Two Men Plead Guilty To Possession Of Marijuana
LAREDO, Texas - A Laredoan and a Mexican National have been convicted for their roles in possessing with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, announced DEA Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Houston Division, Steven Whipple and Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez.
Alan Gonzalez, 28, of Laredo, and Juan Galvan-Hernandez, 40, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, admitted they knowingly possessed with the intent to distribute 178 kilograms of marijuana.
On May 18, 2017, Border (BP) agents observed vehicles acting in a suspicious manner, suggesting they were on the lookout for law enforcement. Gonzalez then drove a vehicle into a tractor-trailer shipping yard near the Rio Grande River in Laredo. Moments later, five individuals jumped out of nearby foliage and ran in the direction of his vehicle. Each individual was carrying a large bundle of marijuana over their heads. One of those people was apprehended and identified as Galvan-Hernandez.
U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo accepted the plea today and set sentencing for Dec. 5, 2017. At that time, Gonzalez and Galvan-Hernandez each face a mandatory minimum of five and up to 40 years in federal prison and a possible $5 million maximum fine. Both have been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
BP and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher A. dos Santos is prosecuting the case.
