Judge Dismisses Case Against Mexican Woman Caught With 93 Pounds of Cocaine at Border

Mexican national Denisse Ahumada-Martínez was arrested at an immigration checkpoint near Falfurrias, Texas, after border patrol agents found 93 pounds of cocaine in her vehicle on June 10, 2023. (Hidalgo County Jail Records)

A federal judge dismissed a drug trafficking case against a city councilwoman from Reynosa, Mexico, who was arrested at the Texas border when U.S. Border Patrol agents said they found about 93 pounds of cocaine in her vehicle.

Denisse Ahumada-Martínez was arrested on June 10 at the inland security checkpoint in Falfurrias, Texas, after the white Mazda SUV she was driving was referred for a secondary inspection, according to the criminal complaint. During the X-ray of her vehicle, agents noticed anomalies inside the seats, according to the criminal complaint (pdf).

“A physical search revealed bundles wrapped with duct tape and foil, consistent with the packing of narcotics,” the complaint reads. “Approximately forty-two (42) kilograms of suspected cocaine were discovered in multiple locations within the vehicle, including the seats and door panels.”

However, U.S. Magistrate Judge Juan F. Alanis dismissed the case, saying prosecutors did not meet the burden of proof (pdf).

Ahumada-Martínez is still listed as one of the council members on the Reynosa City Council website.

Reynosa is a violent border city in the state of Tamaulipas in Mexico that has long been dominated by factions of the Gulf Cartel. The city sits across the Rio Grande from McAllen, Texas, in Hidalgo County.

Why Was the Case Dismissed?

During a hearing on June 15, an agenct from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) who handled Ahumada-Martínez’s case said Ahumada-Martínez knew she was “doing something wrong” but that she claimed she did not know, Progress Times reported.

Ahumada-Martínez’s attorney, Samuel Reyes of Mission, Texas, told Progress Times the government did not prove intent and that there was no evidence that Ahumada-Martínez intended to traffic narcotics into the United States.

“In this case, the government did not do that, and the judge made the right decision,” Reyes said.

According to Reyes, a Mexican drug cartel had threatened his client if she did not cooperate with their request.

“It’s easy for somebody to say, ‘Well, you know, they’re still guilty. They could have gone to the police,'” he said, but he added that it’s a different situation when your life is threatened by a criminal organization and you know what can happen if you refuse.

Ahumada-Martínez’s children, ages 2 and 7, were in the vehicle when she was stopped by Border Patrol.

“Her life had been threatened, and her children’s lives were threatened by this trafficking organization,” Reyes told the local news outlet.

After the drugs were discovered, Border Patrol agents contacted the DEA, which sent two agents to question Ahumada-Martínez about the narcotics.

“Martinez admitted she drove the white Mazda SUV from Mexico into the United States through Hidalgo Port of Entry. She stated she was to transport the narcotics concealed in the vehicle to San Antonio, Texas,” according to the complaint. “Martinez also stated she has transported narcotics in the past as well.”

Ahumada-Martínez had three phones on her when she was arrested, Landsman reportedly told the judge, adding that a Mexican phone number had been deleted.

“She just knew she was doing something illegal,” the agent said.

Other than the drugs found in the vehicle, Landsman said there was no further proof of the crime.

Reyes told the judge there was “a lot of stretching and speculating.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Marie Garcia said it was reasonable to assume that the suspect knew the vehicle contained something illegal and that the government had established probable cause based on the evidence.

The judge disagreed with Garcia and dismissed the charges.

As of June 21, Ahumada-Martínez remains in custody in the Hidalgo County Jail on a fugitive warrant without bond while she awaits extradition by Mexican authorities.