A Prison Term for East Texas Drug Trafficking

MARSHALL – A Mexican national is heading to federal prison for drug trafficking in East Texas. In Marshall, U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap sentenced Benigno Guzman Ortiz, 20, to 58 months in prison. He had pleaded guilty back in May to possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Federal prosecutors say, when Ortiz was stopped for a traffic violation in Cass County in September of last year, he gave permission to search his vehicle. Officers found 15 bundles of methamphetamine concealed within the rear hatch of the van. He admitted that he had been recruited to drive the van containing the drugs from Houston to Texarkana, Arkansas.