San Antonio — A University of Incarnate Word student has been arrested and accused of attempting to smuggle nearly $1 million from San Antonio.
According to affidavit paperwork, the FBI discovered a private aircraft at the San Antonio International Airport on July 17, reportedly about to head to Monterrey, Mexico with international student, Juan Pablo Hoyos Avila, four other individuals, and an undeclared $879,000 on board.
In fact, the FBI reports that it may be one of the largest smuggling attempts in the history of all the major Texas cities.
Customs and Border Protection of San Antonio said they were alerted to the smuggling operation from an anonymous phone call around 6:45 pm Tuesday, according to the affidavit.
CBP officers immediately demanded the plane be sent to a private aircraft inspection facility. During an inspection, officers said they uncovered boxes appearing to hold fans but were actually filled with several bundles wrapped in duct tape. The bundles contained a total of $879,000.
According to the affidavit, the individuals inside of the plane were UIW student Juan Pablo Hoyos Avila, Rafael Gabriel Martinez Leal, Jose Andres Marroquin Salazar, Jorge Luis Martinez Hernandez, and Marina Montserrat Guajardo Leal.
Martinez Leal, 19, is related to the wife of Governor Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca, of Tamaulipas, Mexico, according to a spokesperson for the governor. UIW student Avila is reportedly the son of the previous owner of Skyplace FBO, which is the hangar where the private plane was to take off from.
After officers searched the other UIW student, Avila's, cell phone, the affidavit says he admitted he had been helping Martinez smuggle 'undeclared cash or drug money' since January. He did claim that $960 of the money belonged to him.
CBP officers also said Avila admitted Martinez had been paying for his rent.
Martinez Leal admitted to officers he had been smuggling nearly a million dollars in U.S currency each week to Mexico via private aircraft for about nine months, according to the affidavit.
He told CBP officers he gets 3.5 percent of the money he smuggles.
Avila and Martinez Leal face up to five years in prison.
UIW released the following statement:
The University is aware from media reports of the arrest of the student for off-campus conduct. Mr. Juan Pablo Hoyos Avila, an international student from Mexico, is currently registered for the fall 2018 semester. In keeping with UIW’s commitment to educate our students in becoming responsible community citizens, the university has an on-campus judiciary process to address violations of the university’s Student Code of Conduct, even when they occur off-campus. We expect all students to serve as community citizens both on and off-campus, and the conduct leading to this arrest is subject to disciplinary proceedings through the Code of Conduct.
De Hoyos waived his preliminary hearing and will have continuance on the detention. He is still in custody.
Martinez Leal is scheduled to be in court Thursday, July 26 at 10:30 a.m.
Read the full arrest affidavit below: