KANSAS CITY- A Mexican man was sentenced Monday to 12 years in federal prison for his role in smuggling more than 1,000 pounds of liquid methamphetamine into Kansas, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.

Fernando Chavez-Rodriguez, 43, a citizen of Mexico, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

He was arrested Jan. 13, 2017. Federal agents watched him and others at a business in Kansas City, Kan., unload liquid methamphetamine from a fuel tank on a semi-truck into five-gallon buckets. They loaded the buckets into a white Dodge Caravan.