Homeland Security Investigations agents in Brownsville arrested two people after following a woman who was carrying drugs in her vehicle to an apartment complex, where they found more narcotics. Reyna Delfina Bear Hernandez and Angel Velez Salas are each charged with possessing about 124 pounds of cocaine with intent to distribute, according to a criminal complaint.
According to the complaint, a white Toyota Corolla driven by Bear tried to enter the United States through the B&M International Bridge on Tuesday. Hernandez said she was on her way to drop her nephew off at school. An X-ray scan and a K-9 alert led Customs and Border Protection officers to a man-made compartment between the rear seat and the trunk, where they found 20 packages weighing about 45 pounds.
Agents allowed Hernandez to leave the port of entry under surveillance and followed her to an apartment complex, the complaint said. Agents detained her and Velez after she met him near his vehicle. The complaint said Velez consented to a search of his Cherokee, which turned up 10 more packages weighing 24 pounds, and a search of his apartment yielded another 54 pounds. A field test of the packages gave positive results for the characteristics of cocaine.