A police cadet from Pharr will trade in his blue uniform for an orange jumpsuit.

Pedro Cruz Almeida Jr. was sentenced Thursday to 50 months in prison after admitting to attempting to export .50 caliber tracer-equipped linked ammunition without a license.

Almeida previously pled guilty to the smuggling scheme in April, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.

The 22-year-old executed his role in the scheme while simultaneously attending a local police academy, the news release stated.

Almeida was arrested following a Feb. 3, 2023 traffic stop that led to the discovery of 600 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition in the vehicle.

“Almeida admitted he intended to transfer the ammunition to an individual waiting at the port of entry driving a vehicle with a Tamaulipas, Mexico, license plate,” the release stated. “In Mexico, he received cash to order the ammunition. Almeida admitted he ordered ammunition approximately 30 occasions over the past year.”

On Feb. 9, 2023, agents seized an additional 300 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition postmarked to Almeida.

“Almeida lived a double life,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani said in the news release. “While training to be a police officer, he attempted to smuggle hundreds of rounds of lethal ammunition into Mexico. Criminals like him could have eroded the public trust, and we are breathing a sigh of relief that he was stopped before causing more harm.”