Mexican man guilty of smuggling meth
A Mexican national pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to firearm and drug charges related to a long-term narcotic smuggling operation from Mexico to Houston, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson announced.
Rigoberto Munoz-Vargas, 37, admitted in front of U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to arranging the shipment of about 3 pounds of methamphetamine from the Rio Grande Valley to his girlfriend’s apartment in the Houston area.
He also said he purchased a .40-caliber Fabrique Nationale handgun and stored it at the apartment where the methamphetamine was found. Munoz-Vargas was in the United States without a visa, authorities said.
Munoz-Vargas was arrested along with his nephew, Edgar Munoz-Munoz, 24, in December after an investigation conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Texas Department of Public Safety and Customs and Border Protection.
The investigation, which lasted more than two years, determined that Munoz-Vargas was the leader of the smuggling operation, according to court documents.
He will remain in federal custody until his sentencing on May 7.
He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and up to life for the methamphetamine conviction as well as a maximum of 10 years for being an alien in possession of a firearm. He also faces up to $10 million in fines.
The nephew, Munoz-Munoz, is awaiting trial on possession charges.
