A Hidalgo man has been sentenced to a decade behind bars for his part in a cocaine-importing operation. Jesus Andres Tijerina, 45, accepted his guilt earlier this year, on June 4. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Tijerina to 120 months in prison, which will be followed by five years of supervised release, as reported by the Justice Department. During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Tijerina had a supervisory role in the drug trafficking scheme.
This case revolves around an incident from January 21, 2020, when Simon Salazar, a co-conspirator of Tijerina, was stopped by law enforcement at the Anzalduas Port of Entry. Salazar was coming from Mexico and during a secondary inspection, officers discovered 13 kilograms of cocaine stashed inside his vehicle.
Investigations further revealed that Tijerina was instructing Salazar on logistical details, including where to collect the drugs in Mexico and the method of delivery once stateside, according to U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani. Salazar, 36, had previously entered a guilty plea, and, was handed a 25-month prison sentence for his involvement, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.
Tijerina will stay in custody until he is transferred to an appropriate federal prison. The case was a joint investigation effort by Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Cahal P. McColgan prosecuting.
