Two Texas men sentenced to prison for trafficking $4 million of marijuana in tractor trailer

Two Laredo, Texas, residents have been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to charges related to drug trafficking.

On Tuesday, April 13, thirty-five year old Jose Luis Villalba was sentenced to ten years in prison and five years of supervised release, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.

“At the hearing, the court heard additional information including evidence detailing [Villalba’s] role in the offense as a manager and supervisor for the drug-trafficking organization,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Thirty-five year old Hector Gonzalez was sentenced on April 7 to eleven years in prison and five years of supervised release.

Both men pleaded guilty in October 2020 to conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana.

“On July 9, 2016, Villalba and Gonzalez coordinated the transportation of a large load of marijuana inside a tractor-trailer past the Border Patrol checkpoint north of Laredo. Law enforcement intervened and recovered approximately 2,775 pounds of marijuana,” authorities said.

The estimated street value of the intercepted marijuana is $4 million.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Protection assisted in the investigation.