Monterrey teen, accused of smuggling $900,000 cash via San Antonio plane, opts to stay in jail

Rafael Gabriel Martinez Leal (right), 19, a Mexican student accused of smuggling millions of dollars in suspected drug money on private flights leaving from San Antonio, arrives at the federal courthouse for hearings for probable cause and for bail on Thursday, July 26, 2018. less Rafael Gabriel Martinez Leal (right), 19, a Mexican student accused of smuggling millions of dollars in suspected drug money on private flights leaving from San Antonio, arrives at the federal courthouse for ... more Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Marvin Pfeiffer, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 30 Caption Close Monterrey teen, accused of smuggling $900,000 cash via San Antonio plane, opts to stay in jail 1 / 30 Back to Gallery

A man from Monterrey, Mexico, accused of smuggling millions of dollars in suspected drug money on private flights leaving from San Antonio waived his hearings Thursday to determine whether there was probable cause for his arrest and to set bail.

Rafael Gabriel Martinez Leal, 19 — who is related to two prominent politicos in Mexico — agreed to stay in jail at the recommendation of his lawyer, Steven Redgate, who said he wants to look into the matter further.

Normally, waiving a preliminary hearing suggests a defendant does not challenge a law officer’s probable cause for arrest, but Redgate said that wasn’t the case.

“It’s not that I’m not contesting it,” Redgate said. “I want to see what’s happening more. At this point, we’re waiving, but we may re-raise it at another point in time.”

Related: Man in alleged $900k drug-cash smuggling related to Mexican politicians

Martinez drew headlines after the Express-News reported last week that he was arrested with Juan Pablo Hoyos Avila, 19, an international student at the University of the Incarnate Word, after the pair were found with nearly $900,000 aboard a rented private plane that was headed from the San Antonio International Airport to Monterrey. Court records said Hoyos admitted warehousing large amounts of drug money for Martinez, and Martinez told agents he transported about $1 million a week for about nine months. Three other people were on the plane, including a pilot who told agents he had flown Martinez three times from San Antonio.

The three others were not charged, but prosecutors have declined to say anything about them or whether the airplane was seized or allowed to leave. The case is likely headed to a grand jury next month for indictments.

The lead agents in the case were seen leaving the federal courthouse several hours after Martinez’s hearing. He was not taken to jail until after the investigating agents left the building, long after other defendants in unrelated cases who also had court appearances in the morning had already been transported to jail.

Related: FBI sting operation leads to arrest of former guards on charges of smuggling meth into Bexar jail

Martinez is the cousin of two prominent people in the northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas — the wife of the governor, Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca, and the coordinator of the transition team in Tamaulipas for Mexico's incoming president, Andres Manuel López Obrador.

The governor acknowledged Martinez is his wife’s cousin, but said he knew nothing of Martinez’s alleged illicit activities, and that Martinez should pay for his crime if he is found guilty.

Hoyos, who has lived in San Antonio since at least 2013, is scheduled for a bail hearing on Monday morning. He waived his probable cause hearing last Friday.

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