Former Customs and Border Protection Officer Sentenced for Drug Trafficking in South Texas

Juan Posas Jr., a 51-year-old resident of Raymondville, South Texas, has been sentenced for drug trafficking, as announced by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

After a two-hour deliberation, a federal jury convicted Juan Posas Jr. on June 27 of trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to do so. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez has now ordered Posas to serve 162 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. During the sentencing, the Government highlighted that Posas was fully aware of the consequences of his actions.

Juan Posas Jr. is a former Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer. The jury heard during the trial that on June 6, 2022, Posas traveled from Raymondville to a Home Depot in Weslaco, where he met with Alexis Soria-Soria, a 25-year-old Mexican national illegally residing in the United States. Soria transferred a box containing approximately 20 kilograms of cocaine into Posas’ truck during this meeting.

Phone recordings played in court revealed conversations in which Posas was involved in planning the drug smuggling attempt. Despite the defense’s claim that Soria had offered him free fruits in a parking lot and placed a box of fruits in his car without Posas checking its contents, the jury did not believe his claims and found him guilty as charged.

Juan Posas Jr. will remain in custody until his transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, which will be determined in the near future.