A truck driver has been sentenced to federal prison after what officials called a “failed attempt to hide cocaine with urine.”
Pablo Garcia Ortiz, 50, received 36 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas announced. Ortiz pleaded guilty on April 2, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute more than 23 kilograms of cocaine.
At a September 11 sentencing hearing, the court reviewed details of Ortiz’s attempt to conceal the drugs.
Attempt to mask drugs at checkpoint
On November 1, 2024, Ortiz drove a Freightliner tractor-trailer toward the Sarita Border Patrol checkpoint. When a canine alerted to the truck, agents directed him to secondary inspection.
Officials said Ortiz delayed exiting and poured a jug of urine inside the cab in a bid to cover up the odor of narcotics. He also accused officers of planting evidence.
Agents later uncovered 22 bundles of cocaine weighing about 24 kilograms hidden inside a blue toolbox beneath the bed of the truck’s cab. They also found chili powder, which traffickers often use to disguise drug odors.
Prior activity uncovered
A search of Ortiz’s phone revealed evidence of earlier cocaine smuggling in September 2024, according to investigators.
Next steps
Ortiz remains free on bond for now and will self-surrender at a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Border Patrol.
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