A 38-year-old Mexican national faces up to life in prison after he was found with 1.4 million fentanyl pills in McAllen, according to a news release.

Juan Jesus Orozco-Vargas pleaded guilty Friday to a charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, sell or dispense, federal court records show.

As part of his guilty plea, Orozco-Vargas admitted to transporting the pills that were hidden in pallets of limes he helped import from Mexico, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of Texas.

Orozco-Vargas was arrested on April 5 after a tractor-trailer containing 24 pallets of limes crossed into Texas from Mexico through the Pharr Port of Entry and arrived at a warehouse in McAllen. Orozco-Vargas was at the warehouse waiting for the delivery to supervise the transfer of pallets, the news release stated.

“While warehouse workers were unloading the boxes of limes, a pallet broke, causing pink and blue fentanyl pills stamped 'M30' to spill out onto the floor,” the news release stated. “Orozco-Vargas attempted to flee upon law enforcement’s arrival on scene, but they quickly apprehended him.”

Orozco-Vargas admitted to authorities that was going to be paid “half of the total amount of whatever the shipment of limes sold for” to move the pallets containing the fentanyl pills to the side so they could be transported from the warehouse. 

“At 1.4 million doses, this is one of the largest seizures of fentanyl the Southern District of Texas has prosecuted,” U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani stated in the news release. “Removing these deadly pills from the streets of American cities, especially streets that are a few miles away from Mexico, will only save countless lives. My office is committed to dismantling the drug trafficking organizations that flood the United States with deadly fentanyl. This prosecution is emblematic of that commitment.”

Orozco-Vargas has been in federal custody since his arrest, and will remain there pending his sentencing set for February 4, 2025, the news release added. He also faces up to a fine of $10 million as part of his sentence.