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On March 19, 2025, a Comal County jury found John Bellard, 53, of Eunice, Louisiana, guilty of Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance PG 1 (Cocaine) in an amount exceeding 400 grams. The conviction comes after a multi-agency investigation into Bellard's trafficking activities.
Bellard, a long-time truck driver, was apprehended following a traffic stop on February 22, 2023, after law enforcement officials received tips about his potential involvement in drug trafficking. Surveillance units tracked Bellard’s 18-wheeler truck as it traveled along IH-35, eventually stopping near mile marker 190 in Comal County. After consenting to a search, officers discovered 28 bundles of cocaine hidden inside a tote container in the truck’s sleeping quarters.
Bellard admitted to investigators that he had been offered $10,000 to transport the packages, and though he didn’t know the exact contents, he suspected they contained drugs. Jurors heard that Bellard was transporting around 62 pounds (28 kilograms) of cocaine, valued at an estimated $560,000 in its packaged form. Street value estimates ranged between one and two million dollars.
Bellard has chosen to have his punishment determined by the court, with a sentencing hearing scheduled for May 5, 2025. The range of punishment for his conviction is 15 to 99 years or life imprisonment, along with a fine of up to $10,000.
Assistant District Attorneys Daniel Floyd and Pawandeep Singh prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Texas. The investigation was conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Anti-Gang Center FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the New Braunfels Police Department.
