In a recent turn of events from the Southern District of Texas, Ivan Garza, a 47-year-old from Pharr, was sentenced to over seven years in federal prison for his involvement in a drug stash house operation, the office of U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced
Garza, who had previously entered a guilty plea on December 20, 2023, saw U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey impose an 87-month prison term in addition to four years of supervised release, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office Judge Rainey remarked upon sentencing, "Garza was not merely present at a drug stash house." highlighting his active participation in the illicit activities that extended beyond mere presence at the location of the offence.
The arrest stemmed from a February 2021 incident where masked gunmen dragged Garza from his vehicle near a north McAllen residence, while others at the home fired upon the assailants as they made off with the SUV, the same vehicle that was later found to contain cocaine
Law enforcement executed a search warrant leading to the discovery and seizure of three handguns, $268,000 in cash, and four kilograms of cocaine from the residence, with surveillance footage implicating Garza and cohorts in moving some of the cocaine just prior to the armed skirmish, Garza remains detained awaiting transfer to a federal prison as determined by the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, with the McAllen Police Department and FBI having spearheaded the investigation and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jesse Salazar handling the prosecution.
