A Mexican national has been sentenced to 132 months (11 years) in federal prison for his role in a sophisticated scheme to distribute nearly $3 million worth of methamphetamine hidden inside cabbages. Jose Angel Ibarra-Rojas, 36, received his sentence on June 4 from U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton.
According to court documents, the elaborate concealment method involved removing the core of cabbages and inserting balls of methamphetamine into the leaves to evade detection.
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“This sentencing sends a strong message: any criminal who colludes with terrorist organizations to smuggle dangerous drugs into our communities will face harsh consequences. Thanks to the joint efforts of HSI, CBP, and local partners, we dismantled a dangerous operation and took a major quantity of meth off the streets,” stated Mark Lippa, ICE HSI Rio Grande Valley Deputy Special Agent in Charge.
Ibarra-Rojas pleaded guilty on November 6, 2024. The charges stemmed from a traffic stop conducted on June 18, 2024, in Pharr, Texas, where law enforcement intercepted a tractor-trailer. Ibarra-Rojas was a passenger in the vehicle.
A search of the trailer revealed 1,154 plastic-wrapped packages containing a crystal-like substance cleverly concealed within the cabbage cargo. Authorities identified the substance as methamphetamine, weighing approximately 1,356 kilograms (nearly 3,000 pounds), with an estimated street value exceeding $2.8 million.
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During the proceedings, Ibarra-Rojas admitted his awareness of the narcotics within the trailer and acknowledged its recent entry into the United States. He claimed he expected to be paid $1,000 to facilitate the transport of the trailer and its illicit contents further north into the U.S., and also confessed to arranging similar transports multiple times in the past.
As a non-U.S. citizen, Ibarra-Rojas is expected to face removal proceedings by immigration authorities upon completion of his federal prison sentence. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.
The sentencing follows an investigation spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Hidalgo County Constable’s Office.
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