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Illegal Alien Sentenced to Over 10 Years for Smuggling $2.8M In Meth Hidden In Cabbages
Charlie Kirk Staff
06/05/2025
A Mexican national living illegally in the United States has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to his role in a large-scale drug trafficking scheme involving nearly $3 million worth of methamphetamine concealed in cabbage shipments.
Jose Angel Ibarra-Rojas, 36, received a 132-month federal prison sentence on June 4 from U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton. The sentence follows an investigation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), with support from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Hidalgo County Constable’s Office.
Authorities arrested Ibarra-Rojas after a June 18, 2024, traffic stop in Pharr, Texas, uncovered 1,154 plastic-wrapped packages containing a crystal-like substance hidden inside cabbage heads. Each cabbage had been hollowed out and stuffed with methamphetamine in what prosecutors described as a sophisticated concealment method. The narcotics weighed approximately 1,356 kilograms in total and had an estimated street value of over $2.8 million, reports Fox 4.
“This sentencing sends a strong message: any criminal who colludes with terrorist organizations to smuggle dangerous drugs into our communities will face harsh consequences. Thanks to the joint efforts of HSI, CBP, and local partners, we dismantled a dangerous operation and took a major quantity of meth off the streets,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley Deputy Special Agent in Charge Mark Lippa.
Ibarra-Rojas pleaded guilty on November 6, 2024. Court records show he admitted to knowing the trailer contained narcotics and said he expected to be paid $1,000 for arranging its transport further into the United States. He also confessed to having coordinated similar drug shipments in the past.
Following his prison term, Ibarra-Rojas, who is not a U.S. citizen, is expected to be placed into removal proceedings.
