by | Published
On May 5, 2025, Judge Gary Steel of the 274th District Court sentenced John Bellard, 53, of Eunice, Louisiana, to 60 years in prison. The sentencing followed Bellard's conviction on March 19, 2025, by a Comal County jury for Possession with Intent to Deliver a Controlled Substance PG 1 > 400 Grams (Cocaine).
The case began on February 22, 2023, when law enforcement officers, acting on information from a multi-agency investigation, initiated surveillance on Bellard, an 18-wheeler truck driver, at a truck stop in Von Ormy, Texas. Surveillance units tracked Bellard’s truck north on IH-35, where a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper conducted a traffic stop near mile marker 190 in Comal County. Bellard consented to a search of his vehicle, and a narcotics detection canine alerted to the presence of controlled substances. During the search, the trooper discovered 28 bundles of cocaine inside a tote container in the truck's sleeping quarters. Bellard reportedly told investigators he was offered $10,000 to transport the packages and admitted to suspecting they contained drugs, although he didn't know the exact contents.
During the trial, jurors learned that Bellard, a truck driver for eight years, was transporting approximately 62 pounds (28 kilograms) of cocaine. Officers testified that the cocaine had an estimated packaged value of around $560,000, with a street value ranging from one to two million dollars. Testimony also indicated that each kilogram could be distributed to approximately 1,000 people, potentially reaching 28,000 users.
During the punishment phase, the State presented evidence of Bellard's prior illegal transportation of U.S. Currency and his four previous prison sentences in Louisiana for theft offenses. Due to the severity of the cocaine trafficking offense and his prior record, Bellard faced a potential sentence of 15 to 99 years or life imprisonment. In pronouncing the 60-year sentence, Judge Steel told Bellard he was imposing one year of imprisonment for every pound of cocaine he transported.
The Comal County District Attorney's Office expressed gratitude to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Anti-Gang Center FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the New Braunfels Police Department for their continued vigilance in safeguarding the community.
Assistant District Attorneys Daniel Floyd and Pawandeep Singh prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Texas, with the assistance of DA Investigator Gabriele Aguilar.
