San Benito man ordered to federal prison for smuggling cocaine

SAN BENITO, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A San Benito man was ordered to federal prison for his role in a cocaine smuggling scheme, authorities announced.

Baltazar Reyes-Herrera, 28, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to do so on Jan. 20.

On Tuesday, a federal judge sentenced Reyes-Herrera to eight years in federal prison followed by four years of supervised release.

At the hearing, the court heard evidence that Reyes-Herrera was to be paid $10,000 to smuggle 18 bundles of cocaine to Mississippi and then bringing the money back for the sale of the 43 pounds of cocaine, a release from the United States Attorney’s Office stated.

The Arrest

On Oct. 19, 2020, Reyes-Herrera was arrested at the Sarita checkpoint close to midnight while driving a tractor-trailer....