North Texas Man Sentenced for Hauling 245 Pounds of Marijuana

A North Texas man was sentenced yesterday in a federal court to 5 ½ years in prison yesterday for hauling over 245 pounds of marijuana.

22-year old Brian Gallardo of Sherman was sentenced yesterday in Lubbock by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings following Gallardo’s guilty plea in December of 2012 to one count of possession with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.

The truck was carrying several spools of barbed wire in which troopers found 229 bricks of marijuana. The truck's driver, 48-year-old Mark Garrison of Denison was sentenced earlier this month to nearly four years in prison.

According to documents filed in the case, in late October 2012, a trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety stopped a pickup truck, owned and driven by Garrison, for a traffic violation on Interstate 20 near Abilene.

Gallardo was the only passenger in the truck, which was carrying several spools of barbed wire.  After Garrison consented to a search of the truck, one of the troopers opened the inside of one of the spools of wire and detected the odor of marijuana. Further investigation revealed that the spools of wire contained 229 bricks of marijuana that weighed approximately 112 kilograms.  Both Garrison and Gallardo were arrested at the scene and have been in custody since that time.

The case was investigated by the Texas Department of Public Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  Deputy Criminal Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Williams prosecuted.