Hidalgo man sentenced to 11 years in UPS cocaine case

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man from Hidalgo was sentenced to 11 years in prison Wednesday after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration found nearly 126 pounds of cocaine hidden in his attic.

Enrique Bernardo Gamez, 47, of Hidalgo participated in a conspiracy to mail cocaine from the Rio Grande Valley to drug dealers in Montana, Mississippi and other states.

Along with Gamez, the DEA arrested two UPS drivers, a private investigator and someone linked to the Latin Kings street gang.

“I know I messed up, your honor,” Gamez said Wednesday, when he appeared before a judge for sentencing. “And I take full responsibility for my actions.”

The investigation started in September 2021, according to an affidavit filed in a civil forfeiture case, and targeted a drug trafficking organization that used the UPS shipping network.

Smugglers brought cocaine across the border and dropped off the drugs at Gamez’s house. Other members of the organization placed the cocaine in packages with fake return addresses and shipped them to drug dealers across the United States.

On July 25, 2022, agents watched a man drop off a duffel bag at Gamez’s house, according to a plea agreement filed in the case. The bag contained about 55 pounds of cocaine.

The next day, an informant told DEA agents that someone planned to steal the cocaine.

“We decided to approach the residence if we saw Mr. Gamez there at the house,” DEA Special Agent Tyler Klassen said in August 2022, when he testified during a hearing in the case. “And try to give him a heads-up.”

The DEA also searched Gamez’s house.

Agents found cocaine in the master bedroom and the attic. They also discovered $21,000 hidden in a bathroom.

The DEA confiscated the cocaine, Klassen said, but didn’t arrest Gamez that day.

Agents met with Gamez again on July 27, 2022. At some point, though, Gamez decided not to cooperate with the government.

A grand jury charged Gamez with possession of nearly 126 pounds of cocaine with intent to distribute. He pleaded guilty and returned to court Wednesday afternoon for sentencing.

During the sentencing hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia said Gamez had a long history of breaking the law.

In 2003, a grand jury had indicted Gamez for participating in a nearly identical scheme.

Gamez used the UPS shipping network to send marijuana and cocaine to Alabama, according to documents filed in the case. Other members of the drug trafficking organization sent money back to Texas.

The DEA arrested 20 people, including Gamez, on drug trafficking and money laundering charges. After being released from prison, he settled in South Texas and started working for a refinery.

Gamez, however, had a family to support. When he experienced financial problems, Gamez returned to drug trafficking.

“I felt trapped,” Gamez said. “I felt that I needed to make some money — and made the wrong choice.”

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Gamez to 11 years and 4 months in federal prison.