Brownsville man sentenced to 4 years in federal prison after smuggling 53 pounds of meth

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Brownsville man has been convicted of importing methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced.

Juan Adame II, 27, pleaded guilty on March 11, 2022, according to a news release from the United States Attorney's Office. On Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane ordered Adame to serve 4.75 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

On April 8, 2021, Adame was attempting to cross the border at the Progresso port of entry, where he claimed there were no illegal drugs in his vehicle.

He was then transferred to a secondary inspection, where a K-9 alerted authorities to a narcotic odor. According to the release, they found 25 bricks of methamphetamine hidden in compartments inside the wheel wells of the vehicle.

Authorities say the bricks of meth weighed approximately 53 pounds and had a street value of $60,000.

“At the time of his plea, Adame admitted that he knew he was trafficking drugs and that he had done so on several occasions,” said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

“During the hearing, the court heard additional evidence that Adame played a vital role in smuggling illegal narcotics into the United States,” Hamdani said.

Adame remains in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.