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A 41-year-old Mexican man was sentenced to 16 1/2 years in prison Wednesday for attempting to smuggle nearly 13 pounds of methamphetamine into the U.S. at Nogales.

Jose Cardenas-Mendoza, 41, was found guilty by a federal jury of possession with intent to distribute meth and for the importation of meth, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Cardenas-Mendoza was stopped Sept. 22, 2005, at a Nogales, Ariz., port of entry, according to the release. He had a valid U.S. border crossing card, but investigators found 13 packages of methamphetamine in a hidden compartment installed in the transmission hump of his pickup truck.

During the trial, Cardenas-Mendoza denied knowing the meth was in his vehicle as he said he’d loaned the truck to a friend just before the offense, the release says.

But evidence showed he knew the drugs were there and he intended to bring them into the country.