Alice man gets over 22 years for shipping meth from Mexico in clay bricks

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A 35-year-old Alice resident has been ordered to federal prison for his role in receiving meth using a commercial carrier service, announced Acting U.S. Attorney John G.E. Marck.

Scott Garza pleaded guilty Dec. 30, 2025, to knowingly and intentionally possessing meth with the intent to distribute it.

U.S. District Judge David S. Morales has now ordered Garza to serve 265 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard evidence about the abandoned, boarded-up house where the box of drugs was delivered and the firearm Garza had in his possession at the time. In handing down the sentence, Judge Morales noted that although Garza may have been a low-level dealer before this offense, he graduated to the next by participating in this crime.

On Aug. 7, 2025, law enforcement identified an international package shipped from Mexico and destined for an address in Alice. An X-ray examination and K-9 alert resulted in the discovery of 10 clay bricks. Each brick contained meth mixed within the clay material.

The investigation led to Garza, who had travelled to the abandoned house to pick up the package which he later opened at his home.

The drugs had a total weight of nearly eight kilograms with an estimated street value of $160,000.

Authorities conducted a search at his residence where they also found additional narcotics including distributable quantities of cocaine, meth, Xanax tablets, marijuana and synthetic marijuana as well as three firearms.

Previously on bond, Garza was taken into custody following the sentencing where he will remain pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with assistance of Texas Department of Public Safety and Jim Wells County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley A. Pruitt prosecuted the case.