Sentenced to 10 Years for Cocaine Trafficking in the Rio Grande Valley
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
A man from Michigan was sentenced to 10 years (120 months) in federal prison after being found guilty of possession with intent to distribute 14 kilograms of cocaine. U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton issued the sentence, which includes an additional five years of supervised release upon completion of the prison term. The arrest occurred on May 9, 2023, when authorities intercepted the vehicle in which Burks was a passenger at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Sarita. Following a secondary inspection prompted by a K-9 unit alert, agents discovered 14.26 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a suitcase in the cargo area. Burks admitted to investigators that he agreed to travel to Texas in exchange for payment to assist in the purchase and transport of the shipment north. The driver of the vehicle, Walter Lee Houze, had already received a similar 10-year prison sentence in August 2025. Burks will remain in federal custody awaiting transfer to a permanent correctional facility.
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
