Investigators say Roberto Chavarria and his brother Daniel loaded nearly 170 kilograms of marijuana from the banks of the Rio Grande River into the back of a pickup truck on May 25, 2017.
They tried to take the truck to a stash house in Laredo, Texas. Then, police tried to stop the truck for a traffic violation. The driver took off.
Police found the abandoned truck in the middle of the road with the lights on. They searched it and found five large bundles of marijuana with an estimated street value of $299,200.
A sentencing date has not been set. Both men face a minimum of five years in federal prison and a possible $5 million maximum fine.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with help from the Webb County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Makens is prosecuting the case.