Eladio Valadez has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to smuggle 182 pounds of marijuana across the Sarita checkpoint

It took a jury about half an hour Wednesday to reach a guilty verdict against Eladio Valadez in the 105th District Court in Kingsville.The 51-year-old Alice man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to smuggle 182 pounds of marijuana across the Sarita checkpoint.Valadez was facing a second-degree felony charge of possession of marijuana, but a prior drug conviction elevated the charge to a first-degree felony, said District Attorney John Hubert.Visiting Judge Federico Hinojosa handed down the 20-year prison sentence. Valadez faced as long as life in prison.Hubert said Border Patrol stopped Valadez at the Sarita Checkpoint on April 6 and found the marijuana hidden amongst boxes of fruit. According to testimony, Valadez was a professional drug smuggler who had smuggled marijuana past the checkpoint before and brought it into Corpus Christi.

Eladio Valadez has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for trying to smuggle 182 pounds of marijuana across the Sarita checkpoint

It took a jury about half an hour Wednesday to reach a guilty verdict against Eladio Valadez in the 105th District Court in Kingsville.The 5...

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