A former Reynosa city council member was sentenced to three years in prison for smuggling 93 pounds of cocaine across the Falfurrias port of entry last year.
On June 10, 2023, Denisse Ahumada-Martinez, 35, drove a vehicle from Reynosa, Mexico, into the Falfurrias Border Patrol checkpoint. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, a law enforcement alert had been placed on her white Mazda SUV, which was selected for an X-ray search.
After identifying multiple anomalies, Border Patrol agents conducted a manual search of her vehicle and found 37 bricks of cocaine worth an estimated $900,000 in street value. Her two young daughters were in the vehicle at the time.
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials arrested Ahumada and charged her with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. The former councilwoman was released on June 15 after U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis dismissed the case, citing insufficient evidence to prove Ahumada knew about the drugs.
The DEA did not accept the judge's decision and collaborated with the Brooks County Sheriff's Office to file state charges against her. The following day, Hidalgo County Sheriff's deputies arrested her on a warrant that Sheriff Martinez issued from Brooks County.
During a court appearance on Monday covered by Valley Central, Ahumada claimed she was threatened and forced to transport the drugs, fearing for her daughters' safety.
"I know I should have sought for other options," Ahumada said, "But I didn't."
According to the former councilwoman, her alleged blackmailers told her to drive to Monterrey on June 9 and drop off her car. Later that day, she picked up her SUV and headed to Reynosa. On June 10, she crossed the border and was arrested. Ahumada said her final destination was San Antonio, where she was supposed to drop off her vehicle.
She also admitted to having made a similar trip to Houston a month before her arrest.
Before handing down the three-year sentence, the judge stated there was insufficient evidence to corroborate the alleged threats and described Ahumada as a "low-level drug mule."
During the hearing, authorities revealed that Ahumada had been introduced to drug trafficking by another female Mexican politician, whose identity remains anonymous.
Tamaulipas is one of Mexico's most crime-ridden regions, plagued by drug-related violence. The state has experienced brutal surges of violence as rival cartels vie for control of its cities along the U.S. border, including Reynosa.
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