Federal jury convicts McAllen man on drug charges
October 21, 2009 10:04 PM
The Monitor

McALLEN — A federal jury found a McAllen man guilty Tuesday of one count of drug conspiracy and one count of drug possession, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Prosecutors alleged Antonio Vega, 38, arranged to transport more than 900 pounds of marijuana from the Rio Grande Valley to Atlanta by hiring an undercover agent with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to unknowingly drive the load.

Investigators took control of the loaded truck on May 7, 2008, soon after it left a truck stop where Vega had left it to be picked up by the driver. Agents discovered the marijuana hidden underneath the floorboard of the trailer.

Vega now faces up to 40 years in prison and potential fines of $2 million at a sentencing hearing scheduled for Jan. 13.

http://www.themonitor.com/articles/mcal ... victs.html

(Atlanta is considered the staging point for drugs up and down the east coast)