Former Reynosa City Councilor Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison in the United States

A former city councilman from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, has been sentenced to more than three years in U.S. federal prison after being caught with 42.38 kilos (93 pounds) of cocaine in his vehicle last year.

The arrest of Denisse Ahumada Martínez, 35, The incident occurred on June 10, 2023, at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas. Agents found some of the cocaine hidden under the seats of the car in which the former Reynosa city councilman's two young daughters were sitting.

At the time, the DEA estimated the street value of the seized cocaine at $900,000.

Ahumada told the court she was forced into cocaine trafficking after receiving phone calls containing threats against her daughters. She said an unknown man asked her to drive the drug-laden vehicle to San Antonio, Texas.

Despite Ahumada's claims, prosecutors said they found no conclusive evidence that her children were in danger. U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents testified that she had made similar trips before, including to Houston.

Although Ahumada initially avoided charges after a federal judge dismissed the case when prosecutors couldn't prove Ahumada knew exactly what she was carrying in the Mazda SUV, she was detained again at the U.S.-Mexico border on her way back to Mexico after prosecutors in Brooks County, Texas — where Falfurrias is located — filed their own charges against her.

She was later charged by a U.S. federal grand jury.

In October 2023, Ahumada pleaded guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, admitting she knew the drugs were in the vehicle while denying knowledge of the quantity or type of drugs. Texas attorney Samuel Reyes, who at the time was representing Ahumada in the Brooks County case, told Border Report that he believes Ahumada pleaded guilty because she couldn't afford the costs of proving she was coerced.

At her sentencing hearing in McAllen, Texas, on Monday, Ahumada expressed regret but said she feared for her children's safety.

“I know I should have considered the other options that were available to me,” Ahumada told the court Monday. “But I didn’t.”

Judge Randy Crane, recognizing her role as a drug courier, sentenced her to 37 months in federal prison without the possibility of parole.

Ahumada's defense attorney in the federal case, Oscar Alvarez, noted that she had been the victim of domestic violence and intimidation during “two very difficult relationships.” He also argued that she had been coerced by criminal elements.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia noted that Ahumada never reported the alleged threats, even though she had worked closely with law enforcement in the past because of her experiences with domestic violence.

Ahumada was elected to the Reynosa city council in 2021 as a representative of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico (PVEM). She later reportedly switched allegiance to the National Action Party (PAN), but after her arrest, the Tamaulipas branch of the PAN said in a statement that Ahumada was not a member of the party.

With reports of The universal, Reform, The financier And ValleyCentral.com