A 51-year-old Mexican national has been sentenced to 210 months — more than 17 and a half years — in federal prison after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered 163 kilograms of liquid methamphetamine concealed inside two propane tanks in the back of his truck at a Texas port of entry.
Paul Ivan Palmero-Martinez was apprehended on June 5, 2022, at the Eagle Pass Port of Entry while driving a Ford F-350 tow truck. When officers stopped him, Palmero-Martinez initially told agents he was traveling from Piedras Negras, Mexico, to San Antonio to purchase motorcycles for his business and had nothing to declare. After being directed to a secondary inspection, he changed his story, claiming instead that he was traveling to buy an engine.
During the inspection, officers discovered two large propane tanks in the rear compartment of the vehicle. The tanks appeared to have been recently repainted and emitted a suspicious odor. A K-9 unit alerted agents to the presence of narcotics. When the tanks were cut open, investigators found six large packages of liquid methamphetamine with a total weight of 168.2 kilograms — one of the largest single drug seizures recorded at the Eagle Pass crossing.
Palmero-Martinez later admitted to ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents that a co-conspirator had hired him to transport the drugs to San Antonio, and that he had previously driven the same F-350 from Mexico through the Del Rio Port of Entry specifically to establish a crossing history for the vehicle and reduce suspicion. He received $800 for that preliminary run.
He was charged in a four-count federal indictment and pleaded guilty to one count on September 19, 2022. Chief U.S. District Judge Alia Moses of the Western District of Texas presided over sentencing. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Miner and investigated by ICE Homeland Security Investigations.
Palmero-Martinez will serve his sentence in a federal Bureau of Prisons facility.