Former Presidio County Sheriff Rick Thompson has been granted early release after a 1992 conviction for his role in smuggling a midnight haul of cocaine worth $48 million dollars. The Federal Bureau of Prison now lists Thompson’s release date as April 14, 2018.

Both Thompson and rancher Glyn Robert Chambers, according to the Associated Press, received life terms from a U.S. District Judge after shipping the cocaine across the Rio Grande River in December of 1991.

According to court documents obtained by CBS 7, a motion for sentence reduction from life to 360 months by Thompson’s attorney was granted in November 2015.

The AP reported Thompson plead guilty in the hopes of receiving lighter sentences. During the trial, Chambers testified he and Thompson hired more than 20 armed guards to protect the Rio Grande shipment and split $1 million for moving the drugs.

In documents obtained by CBS 7 filed as part of the motion to release early, it appears Thompson completed more than 76 programs or classes in federal prison, including getting his CDL license and anger management.

Thompson was held on charges ranging from conspiracy to import cocaine to illegal possession of dangerous weapons. Thompson told authorities he imported less than 2,400 pounds of cocaine.

Thompson was Presidio county Sheriff from 1973 until 1991, according to city records.