A former city councilman for Reynosa, Tamaulipas, was sentenced to more than three years in US federal prison after being caught carrying 42.38 kilograms (99 pounds) of narcotics. (93 pounds) of cocaine in his vehicle last year.
Arrest of Denisse Ahumada Martínez, 35, occurred on June 10, 2023, at a Border Patrol checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas. Agents found a quantity of cocaine hidden under the seat of the car where the former Reynosa councilman’s two daughters were sitting.
At the time, the DEA estimated the street value of the seized cocaine at US$900,000.
Ahumada told the court he was forced to smuggle the cocaine after receiving a threatening phone call against his two daughters. He said an unknown person ordered him to drive a vehicle full of the drugs to San Antonio, Texas.
Despite Ahumada’s claims, prosecutors said they found no conclusive evidence that her children were in danger. A United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent testified that he had made similar trips before, including to Houston.
Although Ahumada initially avoided charges after a federal judge dismissed the case when prosecutors failed to prove Ahumada knew exactly what he was carrying in the Mazda SUV, he was detained again at the Mexico-U.S. border on his way back to Mexico after prosecutors in Brooks County, Texas — where Falfurrias is located — filed their own charges against him.
He was later charged by a US federal grand jury.
In October 2023, Ahumada admitted guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, admitting that he knew there were drugs in his vehicle but denying knowledge of the amount or type. Texas attorney Samuel Reyes, who was then assigned to represent Ahumada in the Brooks County case, told the Border Report media outlet that he believed Ahumada pleaded guilty because he could not afford the costs of proving he had been coerced.
At his sentencing hearing in McAllen, Texas, on Monday, Ahumada expressed remorse but said he feared for the safety of his children.
“I know I should have looked at my other options,” Ahumada said in court Monday. “But I didn’t.”
Judge Randy Crane, recognizing his lowly role as a drug dealer, sentenced him to 37 months in federal prison without parole.
Ahumada’s defense attorney in the federal case, Oscar Alvarez, pointed to Ahumada’s history of domestic violence and intimidation during “two very bad relationships.” He also argued that Ahumada was coerced by criminal elements.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Garcia noted that Ahumada never reported the alleged threats, even though he had cooperated closely with law enforcement in the past because of his experience of domestic violence.
Ahumada was elected to the Reynosa City Council in 2021 representing Mexico’s Green Ecology Party (PVEM). He later allegedly switched allegiance to the National Action Party (PAN), but after his arrest, the Tamaulipas branch of the PAN said in a statement that Ahumada was not a member of the party.
With reports from The UniversalIndonesian: UpdatesIndonesian: Investors And ValleyCentral.com
