Man faces prison and deportation after recruiting truckers to haul loads of cocaine out of Laredo

A man was sentenced to federal prison for a scheme to use tractor trailers to haul cocaine from Laredo, Texas, to other locations in the U.S.

Luis Manuel Castillo Garcia, 52, was sentenced to 35 months in federal prison for conspiracy to possess cocaine and 120 months for illegally reentering the country after removal.

Garcia, who is a Mexican national living illegally in Laredo, is also expected to face deportation following his prison sentence.

Garcia pleaded guilty in November 2025 to the conspiracy charge and to being found illegally residing in the United States following his removal.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, in March 2025, Garcia recruited commercial truck drivers to haul several loads of cocaine from a yard in Laredo.

Luis Alonzo Pena Jr. of Laredo was one of the truck drivers Garcia recruited.

Garcia organized the transport of two loads of cocaine concealed in hidden compartments with in tractor trailers, paying $9,000 for each trailer to be transported from Laredo to another location.

On March 4 and 5, 2025, law enforcement seized both tractor trailers and located 50 kilograms of cocaine on board.

“Approximately two months later, law enforcement observed Garcia meet Pena at a location in Laredo. Pena arrived in a red Chevrolet Silverado and accepted a duffle bag of cocaine for transport. A subsequent traffic stop led to the discovery of the bag, which contained 15 bundles of cocaine weighing approximately 18.5 kilograms,” authorities said.

The more than 65 kilograms of cocaine seized as part of this investigation had an estimated street value of over $1 million.

Pena, 31, has also been sentenced to 56 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Laredo Police Department, Border Patrol, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations.