Houston man sentenced for transporting fentanyl and other narcotics

CORPUS CHRISTI, TX -- A 41-year-old Houston man has been ordered to prison after conspiring to transport cocaine, heroin and fentanyl into the country, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Juan Antonio Sanchez Jr. pleaded guilty June 3, 2021, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Today, U.S. District Judge David S. Morales sentenced him to serve 120 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release.

The investigation revealed Sanchez hired drivers and passengers to smuggle narcotics to Houston. Sanchez would walk across the Port of Entry to avoid being in the vehicles as they passed through with the narcotics.

On Oct. 23, 2019, authorities intercepted approximately 2.5 kilograms of cocaine in the battery of a vehicle. The investigation determined Sanchez hired that driver to attempt to pass through the Border Patrol checkpoint near Sarita.

Sanchez was also found responsible for two kilograms of heroin and one kilogram of fentanyl found in a vehicle during a traffic stop Dec. 22, 2019.

Sanchez has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara J. De Peña prosecuted the case.