U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani has stated that a Mexican citizen has been ordered to federal prison for conspiracy to import 13 kilograms of fentanyl. Angel Amed Gomez-Garcia pleaded guilty on November 9, 2022. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez ordered him to serve a total of 108 months in federal prison. As he is not a U.S. citizen, Gomez-Garcia is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence.
On August 23, 2022, Gomez-Garcia attempted to enter the United States after driving from Mexico across the Lincoln Juarez International Bridge at Laredo. He claimed he was simply going to shop. However, upon inspection, authorities found 12 bundles hidden in the rear seat, which contained a total of approximately 13 kilograms of fentanyl. The word “tomate,” (tomato in English) was stamped on each bundle.
Gomez-Garcia admitted he had been working for a drug trafficking organization in Mexico sometime on or after December 2021 to bring drugs into the United States. He would also take large amounts of cash from drug proceeds to Mexico.
Source: justice.gov
Photo source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection