Nelson Wilfredo Rios was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison for helping a Mexican drug cartel smuggle several pounds of cocaine

Nelson Wilfredo Rios was sentenced to 13-and-a-half years in prison for helping a Mexican drug cartel smuggle several pounds of cocaine at a time into the United States, prosecutors said. The 49-year-old recruited other Virginians to help carry the drugs across the border in secret compartments hidden in their cars, authorities said. He also personally drove car loads of cocaine across the border. Rios pleaded guilty to importing cocaine in September. He is a citizen of El Salvador and will be turned over to immigration authorities for deportation proceedings after serving his prison sentence.