A New Mexico man will spend the next 13 years in prison after pleading to a federal count of drug trafficking in a case that developed near Emporia.
The US Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that Eric Estrada, age 35 of Hobbs, New Mexico, pleaded guilty last September to one count of possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine.
The case originated in July 2020 after the Kansas Highway Patrol stopped two vehicles on Interstate 35 near Emporia for traffic violations. Estrada was driving a car registered to the person driving the second vehicle, which apparently had 15 kilograms of cocaine and another 15 kilos of meth inside.
Troopers and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation investigated.
