Commercial truck driver convicted of cocaine smuggling attempt

EDINBURG, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A jury convicted a commercial truck driver for attempting to smuggle more than 400 pounds of cocaine through the Pharr International Bridge, Hidalgo County District Attorney Terry Palacios announced Wednesday.

Mexican national Mario Pastor, 34, was sentenced to 15 years in prison following a three-day trial in the 464th District Court.

Evidence presented in court showed that Pastor attempted to cross the Pharr International Bridge on March 5 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers referred his commercial truck for a second inspection.

Mario Pastor, 34, of Reynosa, Mexico, was found guilty of a felony charge for attempting to smuggle over 200 kilograms of cocaine through a Hidalgo County port of entry. Photo courtesy of the Hidalgo County District Attorney's Office

During the search, officers found approximately 440 pounds of cocaine hidden within the trailer of the truck, valued at over $6 million.

"Drug traffickers who attempt to use our highways and borders to transport dangerous narcotics will be caught and held fully accountable," Palacios stated in a press release. "The men and women of law enforcement who stopped this shipment prevented millions of dollars' worth of illegal drugs from reaching our communities."