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Drug Trafficking / Smuggling / Importation

Drug trafficking, also known as importation or delivery, from Mexico to Texas has been an increasing problem for many years due to the ease of crossing the border into the southwest United States. Millions of dollars of the most popular drugs in the United States are produced and transported each year from Mexico to Texas, Arizona, and California.

Three of the four most abused drugs in the United States, marijuana, heroin, and methamphetamines, are not only smuggled from Mexico but are also manufactured there. Mexican drug cartels also bring cocaine, the other most popularly abused drug, to the United States from where it is produced in South America.

Drug trafficking organizations, or cartels, use a variety of methods to get drugs into the United States. They often use teenagers or other Texas residents who do not look like stereotypical drug smugglers, and bribe border agents to let drug trucks pass through. More recently, cartels have started moving smaller bundles of drugs that remain inconspicuous, built underground tunnels and catapulted drugs over the border.

Houston Drug Trafficking Attorney

If you’ve been arrested for drug trafficking, drug smuggling, importation, or possession with intent to sell or distribute, contact an experienced criminal defense attorney right away. It’s important to have someone who will protect your rights and aggressively defend you against the charges.

Attorney Matt Horak is experienced in representing those accused of drug trafficking in both state and federal court.s Contact us today to schedule your initial consultation to discuss the facts of your case. Call us at (713) 225-8000 or toll free at [phone-tollfree], or submit or online contact form today.

Drug Trafficking Information Center

Federal Trafficking Laws
Penalties for Federal Drug Trafficking
Texas Trafficking Laws
Penalties for Trafficking Inside the United Sates
Common Drug Routes from Mexico to Texas
Defenses to Drug Trafficking

Federal Drug Trafficking Rules and Offenses

Drug trafficking basically means selling or distributing illegal drugs, but criminal charges are typically based on the quantity involved. Bringing drugs across the United States border from Mexico to Texas to sell or distribute is a federal offense.

This means someone who brings drugs into the United States from another country can be charged and convicted of a federal offense, which has very severe penalties. It is also a federal offense to cross state borders with drugs, also known as interstate trafficking, with the intent to sell. Additionally, intrastate trafficking, or moving drugs within a state, can also be a federal offense. Federal offenses and punishments can be found in the federal Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. §§ 807 et seq.).

The Controlled Substances Act classifies drugs into different schedules, ranging from Schedule I (most serious) to Schedule V (least serious).

Schedule I – Drugs or other substances that are extremely likely to be abused and have no other known or accepted medical uses
Schedule II – Drugs or other substances that are highly likely to be abused, and have known or accepted medical uses with strict restrictions because abuse may lead to severe dependence
Schedule III – Drugs or other substances with a slight potential for abuse and have known or accepted medical uses with a lower likelihood of dependence
Schedule IV – Drugs or other substances with a lower potential for abuse and have a known or accepted medical use with limited dependence
Schedule V – Drugs or other substances with the least amount of abuse and have a known or accepted medical use with very slight, if any, dependence

Examples of drugs in each schedule:

Drug Schedule	Drug Examples
Schedule I	Opiates, Opium Derivatives, Fentanyl Analogue, Marijuana, Heroin and LSD
Schedule II	Cocaine, Cocaine Derivatives, Opiates, Opium Derivatives, Injectable Methamphetamine and Derivatives, Fentanyl, and PCP
Schedule III	Amphetemines, Methamphetamines, Barbituric acid, and/or Anabolic steroids
Schedule IV	Barbital, Chloral hydrate, Flunitrazepam and/or Phenobarbital
Schedule V	Not more than 200 milligrams of codeine per 100 milliliters; or per 100 grams, not more than 100 milligrams of dihydrocodeine ; per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams, not more than 100 milligrams of ethylmorphine; per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams, not more than 2.5 milligrams of diphenoxylate and not less than 25 micrograms of atropine sulfate per dosage unit; and/or not more than 100 milligrams of opium per 100 milliliters or per 100 grams

Federal Penalties for Drug Trafficking

Drug Schedule	Drug Examples	Quantity	Penalties	Quantity	Penalties
Schedule I	Fentanyl Analogue	10-99 grams mixture	First Offense: Not less than 5 years, and not more than 40 years; if death or serious injury is involved, not less than 20 years to life in prison. Fine no more than $2,000,000 if an individual and no more than $5,000,000 if not an individual Second Offense: Not less than 10 years and not more than life; If death or serious injury is involved, life in prison. Fine no more than $4,000,000 if an individual, and no more than $10,000,000 if not an individual.	100 grams or more mixture	First Offense: Not less than 10 years, and not more than life; if death or serious injury is involved, not less than 20 years or more than life in prison. Fine of not more than $4,000,000 if an individual, and not more than $10,000,000 if not an individual. Second Offense: Not less than 20 years, and not more than life; if death or serious injury is involved, life in prison. Fine of not more than $8,000,000 if an individual, and not more than $20,000,000 if not an individual. More than Two Offenses: Life in prison
Schedule I	Heroin	100-999 grams mixture		1 kilogram or more mixture
Schedule I	LSD	1-9 grams mixture		10 grams or more mixture
Schedule II	Cocaine	500-4999 grams mixture		5 kilograms or more mixture
Schedule II	Cocaine Base	5-49 grams mixture		50 grams or more mixture
Schedule II	Fentanyl	40-399 grams mixture		400 grams or more mixture
Schedule II	Methamphetamine	5-49 grams pure or 50-499 grams mixture		50 grams or more pure or 500 grams or more mixture
Schedule II	PCP	10-99 grams pure or 100-999 grams mixture		10-99 grams pure or 100-999 grams mixture
Other Schedule I & II Drugs	Any drug product containing Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid	Any amount	First Offense: Not more than 20 years; if death or serious injury is involved, not less than 20 years or more than life in prison. Fine of not more than $1,000,000 if an individual, and not more than $5,000,000 if not an individual. Second Offense: Not more than 20 years; if death or serious injury is involved, not less than 20 years or more than life in prison. Fine of not more than $1,000,000 if an individual, and not more than $5,000,000 if not an individual.
Schedule IV	Flunitrazepam	1 gram or more
Schedule III Drugs		Any amount	First Offense: Not more than 5 years; fine of not more than $250,000 if an individual, and not more than $1,000,000 if not an individual. Second Offense: Not more than 10 years; fine of not more than $500,000 if an individual, and not more than $2,000,000 if not an individual.
Schedule IV	Flunitrazepam	30-999 milligrams	First Offense: Not more than 5 years; fine of not more than $250,000 if an individual, and not more than $1,000,000 if not an individual. Second Offense: Not more than 10 years; fine of not more than $500,000 if an individual, and not more than $2,000,000 if not an individual.	Less than 30 milligrams	First Offense: Not more than 3 years; fine of not more than $250,000 if an individual, and not more than $1,000,000 if not an individual. Second Offense: Not more than 6 years; fine of not more than $500,000 if an individual, and not more than $2,000,000 if not an individual.
Other Schedule IV Drugs		Any amount	First Offense: Not more than 3 years; fine of not more than $250,000 if an individual, and not more than $1,000,000 if not an individual. Second Offense: Not more than 6 years; fine of not more than $500,000 if an individual, and not more than $2,000,000 if not an individual.
All Schedule V Drugs		Any amount	First Offense: Not more than 1 year; fine of not more than $100,000 if an individual, and not more than $250,000 if not an individual. Second Offense: Not more than 2 years; fine of not more than $200,000 if an individual, and not more than $500,000 if not an individual.

Texas Drug Trafficking Rules and Offenses

Texas also has a Controlled Substances Act, which prohibits possessing, manufacturing, or distributing prohibited substances with the intent to deliver to another person. If you are caught with a controlled substance in Texas in your possession, as defined in the Texas Controlled Substances Act, you can be convicted under Texas state laws.

Additionally, if you are arrested for manufacturing and/or delivering prohibited substances in Texas, you can be punished for violating Texas laws. Therefore, you can be charged with both state and federal offenses for trafficking drugs. The Texas Controlled Substances Act is defined in the Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 481.

Under the Texas Health and Safety Code § 481.101, drugs fall into four different penalty groups for the purpose of establishing criminal punishment. The penalty groups are as follows:

Penalty Group	Drug Examples	Penalties
Penalty Group 1	Opiates, Ketobemidone, Methadol, Heroin, Opium derivatives, Cocaine and Cocaine Derivatives, GHB, Fentanyl, Rohypnol, Ketamine and Methamphetamine	Less than 1 gram – state jail felony More than 1 gram, but less than 4 grams – second degree felony More than 4 grams, but less than 200 grams – first-degree felony More than 200 grams, but less than 400 grams – 10 years to life in prison and a fine less than $100,00 More than 400 grams – 15 years to life in prison and a fine less than $250,000
Penalty Group 1-A	LSD	Less than 20 units – state jail felony More than 20 units, but less than 80 units – second-degree felony More than 80 units, but less than 4,000 units – first-degree felony More than 4000 units – 15 years to life in prison and a fine less than $250,000
Penalty Group 2	Hallucinogens, including DET, DOET, PMA, Mescaline, Tetrahydrocannabinols, other than marihuana, and anything containing any quantity of substances intended to have a depressant effect on the central nervous system	Less than 1 gram – state jail felony More than 1 gram, but less than 4 grams – second degree felony More than 4 grams, but less than 400 grams – first-degree felony More than 400 grams – 10 years to life in prison and a fine less than $100,00
Penalty Group 3	Anything containing any quantity intended to be used recreationally to have a stimulant effect on the central nervous system, including Methylphenidate, Phenmetrazine, barbituric acid, amobarbital, secobarbital, pentobarbital, Peyote, less than 1.8 grams of codeine, less than 300 milligrams of hydrocodone, and anabolic steroids	Less than 28 grams – state jail felony More than 28 gram, but less than 200 grams – second-degree felony More than 200 grams, but less than 400 grams – first-degree felony More than 400 grams – 10 years to life in prison and a fine less than $100,00
Penalty Group 4	Narcotic drugs containing at least one nonnarcotic active medical ingredient	Less than 28 grams – state jail felony More than 28 gram, but less than 200 grams – second-degree felony More than 200 grams, but less than 400 grams – first-degree felony More than 400 grams – 10 years to life in prison and a fine less than $100,00

The following code sections of the Texas Controlled Substances Act describe offenses and possible charges:

TX Health & S § 481.112 – Manufacture or Delivery of Substance in Penalty Group 1
TX Health & S § 481.1121 – Manufacture or Delivery of Substance in Penalty Group 1-A
TX Health & S § 481.1122 – Manufacture of Substance in Penalty Group 1: Presence of Child
TX Health & S § 481.113 – Manufacture or Delivery of Substance in Penalty Group 2
TX Health & S § 481.114 – Manufacture or Delivery of Substance in Penalty Group 3 or 4
TX Health & S § 481.119 – Manufacture, Delivery or Possession of Miscellaneous Substances
TX Health & S § 481.120 – Delivery of Marijuana
TX Health & S § 481.122 – Delivery of Controlled Substance or Marijuana to Child
TX Health & S § 481.124 – Possession of transport of Certain Chemicals with Intent to manufacture Controlled Substance
TX Health & S § 481.1245 – Possession or Transport of Anhydrous Ammonia; Use of or Tampering with Equipment
TX Health & S § 481.125 – Possession or Delivery of Drug Paraphernalia
TX Health & S § 481.137 – Transfer of Precursor Substance for Unlawful Manufacture
TX Health & S § 481.141 – Manufacture or Delivery of Controlled Substance Causing Death or Serious Bodily Injury

Penalties for Trafficking Drugs Into Texas

The Texas Penal Code defines the sentencing punishments for drug trafficking offenses found under the Texas Substances Act.

Sec.12.21 – Class A Misdemeanor: A fine of less than $4,000 and/or jail time of less than or equal to one year
Sec. 12.22 – Class B Misdemeanor: A fine of less than $2,000 and/or jail time of less than or equal to 180 days
Sec. 12.32 – First Degree Felony: 5 years to life in prison and a fine of less than or equal to $10,000
Sec. 12.33 – Second Degree Felony: 2 to 20 years in prison and a fine of less than or equal to $10,000
Sec. 12.34 – Third Degree Felony: 2 to 10 years in prison, and a fine of $10,000 or less
Sec. 12.35 – State Jail Felony: 180 days to 2 years in jail, and a fine of less than or equal to $10,000

Common Drug Trafficking Routes from Mexico to Texas

The following lists the primary land trafficking routes along the Texas/Mexico border where drugs are frequently smuggled in from Mexico to Texas:

Ciudad Juarez to El Paso,
Ojinaga to Presidio,
Ciudad Acuna to Del Rio,
Piedras Negras to Eagle Pass,
Nuevo Laredo to Laredo,
Reynosa to McAllen, and
Matamoros to Brownsville.

Defenses to Drug Trafficking

Defenses in Texas for arrests associated with controlled substances include:

The substances were not in your possession or belonged to someone else;
The police did not have legal cause to stop your vehicle, or search your person or vehicle;
Entrapment due to the involvement of an undercover agent or confidential informant;
The substances were not intended for human consumption;
The substance is one that has been approved for a new drug application under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act;
The substance is exempt for investigational purposes under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Horak Law | Texas Drug Trafficking Defense Attorney

If you have been charged with trafficking drugs into Harris County, Brewster County, Cameron County, Culberson County, El Paso County, Hidalgo County, Hudspeth County, Jeff Davis County, Kinney County, Maverick County, Presidio County, Starr County, Terrell County, Val Verde county, Webb County or Zapata County, contact Texas drug crimes attorney Matt Horak to discuss the particular facts of your case, and your possible defenses. There are many options to reduce or eliminate your charges, and finding an aggressive attorney is your best option to avoid severe punishment.

Matt Horak is an experienced criminal defense attorney in Houston, and will aggressively fight for your rights. Contact Matt Horak at (713) 225-8000 or toll-free at [phone-tollfree] for a consultation about your alleged drug trafficking charge.