A truck driver from Mexico was sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to bring a huge load of cocaine through the Pharr International Bridge in Texas.
The details: The incident happened on March 5, 2025. The driver, Mario Pastor, was hauling a commercial trailer across the border when he was stopped for a closer inspection.
- Border agents searched the truck and found about 440 pounds of cocaine hidden inside the trailer.
- The cocaine had an estimated street value of over $6 million.
Law enforcement response: Officials say the bust kept millions of dollars’ worth of drugs off U.S. roads. “Drug traffickers who attempt to use our highways and borders… will be caught and held fully accountable,” said Hidalgo County District Attorney Terry Palacios.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed the cocaine seizure, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Pastor was sentenced after a jury trial in late October. No one else was charged in connection with the case.