South Texas man pleads guilty to trafficking over $600K of narcotics, following HSI, federal partner investigation

MCALLEN, Texas – A south Texas man plead guilty Thursday to smuggling heroin and methamphetamines worth over $600k, following U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Gerardo Jimenez, 30, from Pharr, Texas, plead guilty May 11 for smuggling heroin and methamphetamines.

According to court documents, Jimenez, admitted that on Nov. 3, 2020, he knowingly entered the Hidalgo Port of Entry (POE) with drugs in his car. Upon inspection, a K-9 alerted authorities to the hood of Jimenez’s vehicle. CBP officers soon discovered four kilograms of heroin and two kilograms of 100% pure meth concealed in the battery of his car.

The drugs had an estimated street value of $654,000.

U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez will impose sentencing Aug. 19. At that time, he faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.

Jimenez will remain in custody pending that hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliza Carmen Rodriguez, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting the case.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.