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Texas man sentenced to 41 months in prison for drug trafficking

BEAUMONT, Texas - A man from Spring, Texas, was sentenced on Tuesday to more than three years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales, Eastern District of Texas. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Jose Carlos Mejia, 46, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on Oct. 12 by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark. Mejia pleaded guilty on May 10 to possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

According to court documents, Mejia was driving on U.S. Highway 59 in Rusk County, Texas, on Feb. 25, 2009. He was stopped for driving a U-Haul truck with an obstructed license plate. Mejia gave officers consent to search the vehicle, leading to the discovery of over 300 pounds of marijuana wrapped in 16 cellophane bundles packed in cardboard boxes in the cargo area of the truck. Mejia was arrested and indicted for federal drug trafficking violations.

Investigative assistance was provided by the U.S. Coast Guard's Criminal Investigative Service; U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Border Patrol; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Allentown, Pa., Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall L. Fluke, Eastern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.