An ex-federal contractor in South Texas has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for using a government truck to smuggle drugs across the border.
Mario Saenz of McAllen was sentenced Tuesday. Saenz in January pleaded guilty to attempting to possess with intent to distribute cocaine using a U.S. Department of Agriculture vehicle.
Investigators in McAllen say Saenz used Facebook to advertise that he had access to a government vehicle and could haul drugs from Mexico.
Saenz last October was seen driving a USDA pickup truck through an opening in a border fence. Investigators say Saenz grabbed a bag from some brush near the Rio Grande, then drove to a parking lot in McAllen before being arrested.
Officers found cocaine in the bag.
Copyright The Associated Press
