TEMECULA, Calif. (CN) - A former manager of Penske Trucking in this upscale community was sentenced Monday to 10 years in federal prison for using rental trucks to smuggle marijuana.
David J. Barragan, 42, pleaded guilty in January to conspiring to distribute more than a ton of marijuana. The federal crime carries a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.
"Barragan directed others to build secret and hidden compartments inside trucks for the purpose of transporting narcotics and then directed couriers to transport the marijuana to other locations, including Kentucky, Texas, and Illinois," the San Diego U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
Temecula is halfway between San Diego and Riverside, on the east side of the Santa Ana Mountains.
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