Man sentenced to 4 years in federal prison after attempting to cross cocaine into U.S.

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Matamoros resident has been sentenced for possession and intent to distribute cocaine, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Javier Eduardo Vicencio, 22, pleaded guilty on Aug. 24, 2023.

On May 2, 2023, Vicencio was crossing into the United States through the Gateway Port of Entry driving a Chevy Cobalt with Mexican license plates.

During an inspection of his vehicle, Vicencio denied having any alcohol, weapons, drugs or other items, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Authorities say he appeared nervous and they referred him to a secondary inspection. During the secondary inspection, they found 35.4 lbs of cocaine on the passenger side of the car.

Vicencio told authorities his family had owned the vehicle for 10 years and was trying to "help" them.

"He believed he was crossing the border with cocaine and would receive payment of $1,000 per trip for delivery to others in Brownsville," Alamadar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney said in the release.

United States District Judge, Fernando Rodriguez Jr. sentenced Vicencio to serve four years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

"In handing down the sentence, the court noted that while Vicencio had some character references, the court needed to consider the seriousness of the offense, protecting the public and a deterrence to criminal conduct because Vicencio had committed at least five prior successful drug crossings," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Vicencio will remain in custody, where he is pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.