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Jackson, Miss – Juan Francisco Benavides, 44, of Houston, Texas, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Sul Ozerden to serve 39 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for using the interstate to travel in aid of an unlawful activity, specifically distribution of cocaine. Benavides was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine. He pled guilty to the charge on July 10, 2017.
On May 27, 2017, a Hancock County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped a vehicle driven by Benavides for a traffic violation. During the stop, the deputy noticed that Benavides was acting nervous and he did not have a valid driver’s license. Benavides consented to a search of his vehicle, and a K9 made a positive alert that there were drugs in the vehicle. Upon a search of the vehicle by the deputy, several bundles of cocaine were found concealed in the dashboard. Agents located a total of 455.8 grams of cocaine.
The case was investigated by the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kathlyn Van Buskirk.