U.S. District Judge David S. Morales sentenced 35-year-old Alice resident Scott Garza to 265 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release for possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Garza pleaded guilty on Dec. 30, 2025, after law enforcement intercepted an international package from Mexico containing approximately eight kilograms of methamphetamine destined for an abandoned house in Alice.

On Aug. 7, 2025, authorities identified a package containing 10 clay bricks, each of which held methamphetamine mixed within the material.

The drugs carried an estimated street value of $160,000.

Investigators tracked the package to an abandoned, boarded-up residence where Garza arrived to retrieve the shipment.

Garza transported the package to his own home before opening it.

A subsequent search of Garza’s residence yielded additional narcotics, including Distributable quantities of cocaine and methamphetamine, Xanax tablets, marijuana and synthetic marijuana, three firearms.

Judge Morales noted during the hearing that while Garza may have previously operated as a low-level dealer, “he graduated to the next by participating in this crime.”

The court also reviewed evidence regarding a firearm Garza had in his possession at the time he retrieved the drugs.

Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck announced the sentence following the investigation by Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations.

The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Jim Wells County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt led the prosecution.

Garza, who was previously out on bond, was taken into custody immediately following the sentencing. He remains in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.

The Source: Information in this article is based on the USAO, Southern District of Texas releases.