EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — A Mexican truck driver allegedly hid buckets filled with liquid meth inside the diesel tanks of his tractor-trailer and tried to import it into the U.S.
According to court documents obtained by Border Report, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers found the drugs when Luis Alberto Garza Cisneros, 33, pulled into the inspection lanes at the World Trade Bridge on May 6 in Laredo, Texas.
During a secondary inspection, CBP said, a drug-sniffing dog and X-ray scans alerted officers to anomalies in the truck, which was importing stainless-steel scrap. Border officers then found 24 5-gallon buckets inside the tractor’s diesel tanks.
Records show CBP officers uncovered approximately 120 gallons of liquid meth at a weight of 413.98 kilograms Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s-Homeland Security Investigations said the meth had a street value of $18,253,206
Documents state that Garza Cisneros told HSI agents that he agreed to smuggle the meth to help pay off a cousin’s debts.
On Thursday, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment charging Garza Cisneros with knowingly and unlawfully importing or attempting to import a controlled substance.
Garza Cisneros faces a sentence of up to life in prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Bajew, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting the case.
