A commercial truck driver was recently sentenced to prison for trying to smuggle hundreds of pounds of cocaine over the Pharr International Bridge.
According to a statement from the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office dated October 29, Mario Pastor, 34, of Mexico, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on drug smuggling charges following a jury trial.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on March 5, 2025, on the Pharr International Bridge in Pharr, Texas.
According to officials, Pastor approached the bridge in a commercial truck and was referred for a secondary inspection.
US Customs and Border Protection examined the truck and discovered around 440 pounds of cocaine stashed within commodities in the trailer.
The estimated street value of the seized drugs is over $6 million.
“This verdict sends a clear message,. Drug traffickers who attempt to use our highways and borders to transport dangerous narcotics will be caught and held fully accountable. The men and women of law enforcement who stopped this shipment prevented millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs from reaching our communities,” said Hidalgo County District Attorney Terry Palacios.