A federal judge in McAllen on Wednesday sentenced Erick Ochoa-Rodriguez of Pharr and noted the teen repeatedly used his age to manipulate the justice system.
A jury in February convicted Ochoa-Rodriguez of conspiring to possess marijuana and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez says Ochoa-Rodriguez "embraced" life as a drug trafficker and continued to disregard the law. Prosecutors say Ochoa-Rodriguez posted Facebook messages bragging about cocaine trafficking, selling guns and recruiting drug dealers.
Ochoa-Rodriguez was arrested in October after a failed attempt to smuggle bundles of marijuana across the Rio Grande.
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