HOUSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Texas, Southern), published as received.
HOUSTON – A 24-year-old Houston resident has been ordered to federal prison for his role in trafficking drugs in the metro area, announced Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.
Alberto Serna pleaded guilty Oct. 27, 2022, to possession with the intent to distribute meth.
Today, U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt sentenced Serna to serve 168 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard evidence that Serna was held accountable for 7,513 grams of meth.
“Meth kills and destroys entire communities, and my office will use all means necessary to stop the proliferation of toxic drugs that inflict harm on our citizens” said Hamdani. “You can’t sell kilograms of drugs in the Southern District of Texas without paying a hefty price, and today’s sentence represents that.”
On April 15, 2022, law enforcement learned Serna would be transporting a large amount of narcotics. They conducted surveillance and observed Serna committing suspicious activity. A joint effort led to a traffic stop, at which time authorities inspected his vehicle and discovered over eight kilograms of meth.
The drugs had an estimated street value of $130,000.
At the time of his plea, Serna admitted he possessed the meth with the intent to distribute it.
Serna has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of Harris County Precinct 3 Constable’s office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart A. Burns prosecuted the case.
