Mexican man sentenced for importing meth stuffed inside vehicle panel

LAREDO, Texas — A Mexican man was sentenced June 29 to federal prison for more than five years for his role in importing methamphetamine inside a vehicle door panel.

This case is being conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Office Director.

J. Guadalupe Martinez-Montelongo, 48, from Mexico, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo, Southern District of Texas, to 63 months in federal prison. On March 3, Martinez-Montelongo plead guilty to the meth charges. Since he is not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to face deportation proceedings following his incarceration.

According to court documents, on Dec. 10, Martinez-Montelongo applied for entry into the United States at the Lincoln Juarez Bridge. Authorities investigated the SUV he was driving, at which time a K-9 alerted to the presence of narcotics in the vehicle’s doors. An x-ray scan further revealed bundles of narcotics stuffed behind the door panels which field tested positive for meth.

The bundles weighed approximately 23 pounds and had a street value of approximately $73,000.

Martinez-Montelongo will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Harrison, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted the case.