LAREDO, Texas — A semi-professional wrestler from Mexico was sentenced Wednesday to nearly four years in federal prison for conspiring to import over 50 kilograms of meth.

The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick, Southern District of Texas. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol.

Jose Ramos-Delgadillo, 32, a citizen of Mexico, was sentenced Jan. 22 to 46 months in federal prison. Ramos-Delgadillo, who was illegally present in the U.S., is expected to face removal proceedings following the sentence. Ramos-Delgadillo pleaded guilty Oct. 3, 2019.

According to court documents, on Aug. 4, 2019, Ramos-Delgadillo arrived in Laredo at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge driving a Ford Escape. An initial search yielded 24 bundles of meth concealed within the tires. However, authorities also discovered an additional 19 bundles in the vehicle’s firewall. Upon questioning, Ramos-Delgadillo claimed he was a wrestler from Guadalajara, Mexico, who was traveling to Dallas to visit a friend. He soon admitted he knew there were narcotics in the vehicle. He expected to be paid $5,000 for transporting the drugs.

The drugs weighed a total of 53.56 kilograms with an approximate value of more than $300,000.

Ramos-Delgadillo will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Day, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.