Janet says this type of thing doesn’t happen.

A federal magistrate has denied bond in a marijuana case involving the brother of a New Mexico mayor who faces gun smuggling charges.

Gilbert Espinoza faced a detention hearing Wednesday in Las Cruces after he was arrested on a charge of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Who says the cartels aren’t inside our borders?

According to a criminal complaint, Border Patrol agents who stopped Espinoza on Saturday afternoon on Interstate 25 near Las Cruces found 113 pounds of marijuana hidden in the gas tank of his vehicle. The agents said they had become suspicious of how Espinoza answered their questions and called in a drug-sniffing dog.

Espinoza, who also is known as Gilbert Espinoza-Saenz, was turned over to U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents.

Luna County Sheriff Raymond Cobos said Espinoza is the brother of Columbus Mayor Eddie Espinoza.

Eddie Espinoza was among a dozen people accused by federal authorities earlier this month of participating in a scheme to illegally buy guns in the U.S. and smuggle them to Mexico. The Columbus police chief and a trustee of the town near the Mexico border also are among those facing federal charges.

A federal probation officer filed a notice in court Tuesday that the government intends to petition to revoke Gilbert Espinoza’s supervised release in a 1996 drug case.

Court records show he was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on charges of conspiracy to distribute marijuana and possession with intent to distribute marijuana.

via Brother of Columbus, NM, mayor arrested in gun smuggling scheme is held on marijuana charge :: The Republic.

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