The owner of a Texas trucking company received a 25-year sentence for his role in a Mexico-to-Chicago drug trafficking ring.
Details: Jose Farias, 44, was sentenced on September 23 after a 2021 conviction for drug conspiracy and possession.
- Farias, who lived in Mexico and owned a trucking company in McAllen, Texas, coordinated the transport of about 130 kilograms of heroin and 45 kilograms of cocaine to Chicago.
- Drugs were hidden in hollowed-out wheel axles of trucks. Once in Chicago, traffickers unloaded and distributed the narcotics, then reloaded the trucks with cash proceeds for transport back to Texas and Mexico.
Authorities seized 54 kilograms of heroin, 17 kilograms of cocaine, and $630,200 in cash from various locations, including warehouses and auto repair shops in Illinois, according to a DOJ press release.
The impact: The drugs were sold to thousands, causing widespread addiction and harm to communities.
Seven other individuals have also been convicted in connection with the operation.