14 aboard tour bus allegedly try to smuggle $3.1 million into Mexico
U.S. Citizens:
>> Bianca Tapia-Pineda, 20
>> Jobanni Hernandez, 19
>> Gabriella Hernandez, 18
>> Alejandro Camacho, 22
>> Elizabeth Cornejo, 21
Leticia Urieta-Aguirre, 20
Jonathan Nathan Gaona, 20
Mexican Citizens:
Rene Fernando Espinoza-Borjas, 46
Maria Urieta, 48
Marcial Santana-Aleman, 47
Pedro Sanchez Aviles, 44
Jacinto Magadan Cuevas, 40
Margarita Patricia Jones, 50
Irma Echeverria-Vega, 51
HIDALGO — Federal authorities seized $3.1 million from luggage on a tour bus destined for Mexico — the largest cash seizure for U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers this fiscal year.
CBP officers arrested 14 people aboard the tour bus Sunday at the Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge, according to an agency statement.
Officers found the cash hidden in deflated air mattresses packed inside 17 pieces of luggage aboard the bus.
Fourteen passengers — seven U.S. citizens and seven Mexican nationals — faced federal charges Wednesday at U.S. District Court in McAllen.
“This seizure puts smugglers on notice,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton said in a statement. “ICE and CBP are working shoulder to shoulder to deny criminal organizations money they use to further their illicit activities and threaten public safety.”
U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby will consider whether to grant bond to any of the 14 suspects at a detention hearing set for today.
The $3.1 million seized by federal agents far exceeds the $10,000 limit for cash declarations upon entering or exiting the United States.
If convicted, each person charged in the case could face up to five years in prison, fines up to $250,000 and a term of supervised release.
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Naxiely Lopez covers PSJA and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4434.
