A Texas man was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

33-year-old Miguel Mendoza, 33, of Elgin, Texas, was sentenced on April 6, in U.S. District Court in Gulfport.

According to court records, on Monday, October 17, 2022, Harrison County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop on Interstate 10 East in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Mendoza was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.

An extensive search of the vehicle revealed a pressure-activated access panel for two improvised compartments on each side of the vehicle’s drive shaft. The driver-side compartment contained (2) cellophane-wrapped packages containing 2.5 kilograms of cocaine.

The passenger side compartment contained (2) plastic and aluminum foil wrapped packages containing 1 kilogram of methamphetamine.

Tools were located inside the vehicle that were readily available to raise the vehicle and gain access to the compartment.

Mendoza was indicted by a federal grand jury and he pled guilty on January 17 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.