By Roger Lanse

According to a U.S. Department of Justice press release, Raul Sierra Garcia, 20; Jesus Nuyes Ortijo, 25; Manuel Coronado Miranda, 43, and Raul Sierra Rascon, 42, all of Sahuaripa, Sonora, Mexico; and Martin Sierra Garcia, 18, of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, appeared in Las Cruces federal court on Thursday, April 2, 2020 on a criminal complaint charging them with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy.

According to the complaint, the press release said, these five men entered the United States illegally on March 29, in Hidalgo County with three large burlap-wrapped bundles of marijuana. U.S. Border Patrol agents recovered the bundles and arrested the defendants as they attempted to conceal themselves in brush.

The five are in custody pending detention hearings and face up to 20 years in prison.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol investigated this case.