TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - A former federal police officer from Mexico has been convicted on charges of smuggling drugs in Alabama.
The U.S. attorney’s office says jurors in Tuscaloosa convicted 35-year-old Adrian Hernandez Portillo on drug-conspiracy charges Tuesday after a two-day trial.
A statement says Portillo worked as a federal police officer in Mexico from 2007 until 2014.
Authorities say Portillo and another man were driving through rural Alabama in January 2017 when they were stopped by police. A search found about 14 pounds (6.5 kilograms) of cocaine and more than a pound of morphine hidden in the truck’s engine.
Evidence showed Portillo had driven the truck into Texas from Mexico the previous day.
The other man in the truck pleaded guilty earlier to conspiracy.
A judge scheduled Portillo’s sentencing hearing for December.
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