Incarnate Word student, friend accused of smuggling $900,000

Rafael Gabriel Martinez Leal, 19, left, and Juan Pablo Hoyos Avila, 19, right (or front), leave the federal courthouse in San Antonio on Tuesday, July 17, 2017, after a hearing on bulk-cash smuggling charges. Rafael Gabriel Martinez Leal, 19, left, and Juan Pablo Hoyos Avila, 19, right (or front), leave the federal courthouse in San Antonio on Tuesday, July 17, 2017, after a hearing on bulk-cash smuggling charges. Photo: Guillermo Contreras, Staff Photographer Photo: Guillermo Contreras, Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Incarnate Word student, friend accused of smuggling $900,000 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

A University of the Incarnate Word student and his friend were arrested Tuesday on charges they were smuggling nearly $900,000 of suspected drug proceeds in a private airplane that was detained at the San Antonio International Airport.

Juan Pablo Hoyos Avila, 19, who is studying business administration, and Rafael Gabriel Martinez Leal, 19, both appeared in federal court Tuesday afternoon on the bulk-cash smuggling charge, for which they could receive up to five years in prison if convicted.

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U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in San Antonio, acting on a tip, diverted for inspection a private plane bound for Monterrey, Mexico, on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint affidavit filed against the pair. During the inspection, agents asked the plane’s five occupants, including the pilot, if they had anything over $10,000 to declare, the affidavit said. Hoyos declared $960.

The affidavit said eight sealed boxes that had pictures of a fan and one fan that was not in a box were found inside the plane. Seven of the boxes contained bundles wrapped in gray duct tape. The bundles were opened and U.S. currency totaling $879,099 was found, the affidavit said.

CBP informed Homeland Security Investigations of the find, and agents interviewed the occupants, the affidavit said.

Hoyos, in oral and written statements, admitted his participation in the cash-smuggling operation, saying he’s known Martinez since January, and that Martinez paid for most of the rent for Hoyos’ apartment. Hoyos received cash from different individuals and stored the money in his garage until Martinez picked it up and accompanied it to Mexico on private aircraft, the affidavit said. Hoyos also said he has picked up money in Houston and brought it back to San Antonio.

According to the affidavit, Martinez took full responsibility for the bulk cash smuggling operation. He had been coordinating the movement of money for nine months throughout the United States to San Antonio, where he picked it up from Hoyos, he told agents.

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“Martinez stated that he gets paid 3.5% of the U.S. currency smuggled,” the affidavit said. “Martinez further stated that he smuggles approximately 1 million dollars a week.”

Two of the other occupants a man and woman, told agents that they came from Monterrey with Martinez. Once in San Antonio, they separated from Martinez and went shopping. Both claimed to not know anything about the smuggling.

The pilot also denied knowing about the smuggling. He told agents he was hired to fly the private plane, which was rented by Martinez, and that he has flown Martinez to the U.S. from Mexico on previous occasions, the affidavit said.

Martinez and Hoyos were ordered detained pending bail hearings in the next two weeks.

Guillermo Contreras covers federal court and immigration news in the San Antonio and Bexar County area. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | gcontreras@express-news.net | Twitter: @gmaninfedland