A trucker from Mexico is facing drug charges in the U.S. for allegedly trying to smuggle 120 gallons of liquid meth inside the vehicle’s gas tanks. The drugs had an estimated street value of $18 million.
Luis Alberto Garza Cisneros, 33, was scheduled to go before U.S. Magistrate Judge Diana Song Quiroga on Tuesday for an arraignment hearing, but his attorneys filed a waiver and pleaded not guilty. He is set to remain in detention without bond. Garza is named in a two-count drug trafficking indictment that a federal grand jury handed down last week.
The case against Garza began in early May when he tried to drive a tractor-trailer across an international bridge in Laredo, court documents revealed. During a secondary inspection, officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection had the truck scanned using X-ray equipment and found two buckets with 120 gallons of liquid meth hidden in the vehicle’s fuel tanks. The drugs had an approximate weight of more than 910 pounds and a value of $18 million.
Court documents revealed that during questioning by federal agents, Garza said he had agreed to smuggle the drug load to help his cousin pay off a debt to organized crime in Mexico. Court documents do not specify to whom the debt is owed, however, the Mexican border city of Nuevo Laredo is controlled by the Cartel Del Noreste faction of Los Zetas.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, if Garza is convicted of the charges, he could face a possible term of life in prison with a minimum of 10 years. Garza is not a U.S. citizen, so he faces deportation after a sentence is completed.
Luisana Moreno is a contributing writer for Breitbart Texas.
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