Former McAllen furniture store owner sentenced for cocaine distribution

Source: The Monitor, McAllen, TexasAug.儲存倉 20--A Mission man received an eight-year sentence from a federal judge Tuesday in Corpus Christi for conspiring to distribute cocaine and launder the money through his McAllen furniture store.Jose Francisco Serna pleaded guilty in November to charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to launder money, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas.At the height of the drug trafficking ring's operations, Serna would receive cocaine shipments from Mexico at his Hidalgo County ranch, then smuggle them through a legitimate trucking company, Four Seasons Transport, to Georgia and South Carolina. The drugs would be hidden in an axle compartment of the trucks, the news release said.Money from accomplices in Atlanta would be sent back to Selna in the same c迷你倉沙田mpartments.Selna used multiple bank accounts -- including his furniture business' account -- to disguise the drug money.Selna's will serve prison terms for both charges -- both eight years long -- concurrently, meaning he will be released in 2020. He will serve four years of supervised release once he is freed, and will pay a $5,000 fine. U.S. District Judge John D. Rainey also ordered Tuesday that the ranch used in the drug business be forfeited. The ranch is valued at $300,000.Serna hid in Mexico from authorities for two years before his capture, the news release said. Court documents show an arrest warrant for Serna was issued in January 2010 and he was not arrested until August 2012.jfischler@themonitor.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Monitor (McAllen, Texas) Visit The Monitor (McAllen, Texas) at .themonitor.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉價錢