Driver admits guilt in drug case

The driver of a vehicle that attempted to go through the Pine Valley checkpoint with 21 packages of fentanyl mixed with another drug has pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute.

Sentencing for Jose Armando Hernandez Velazquez was set for Jan. 18, 2019 by U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino.

Fentanyl is a dangerous syn­thetic opioid that is deadly even in small amounts.

The maximum sentence Her­nandez faces is life in federal prison, though federal guide­lines will recommend a less pu­nitive sentence.

The incident occurred on Sept. 5 when Hernandez was driving a silver Mini Cooper at 1:53 p.m. as he approached the Interstate 8 checkpoint. Her­nandez told a Border Patrol agent he was on his way to the Viejas Casino.

An agent’s canine partner alerted him to the vehicle and the Mini Cooper was sent to a secondary inspection. The dog directed the agent to the floor­board, according to court docu­ments.

The vehicle was transported to the hydraulic lift for further inspection. An agent used a fiber optic scope within an open­ing and saw sealed bundles on a false bottom compartment.

Agents removed 21 vacuum sealed packages that weighed 55 pounds. The packages contained a mixture of the deadly fentanyl drug with piperidinyl. They also found two pill form packages.

Hernandez is a Mexican citi­zen with a permanent resident card. His passenger, Sandra Cristina Osuna Nunez, was ini­tially charged with him, and she told agents she was unaware of any drugs in the vehicle.

A prosecutor asked the judge to dismiss the case against Osuna, and she was released from jail on Oct. 4 without any charges.

During a later interview, Her­nandez told agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration that he was aware he was transporting illegal merchan­dise for a fee of $2,500.

Hernandez said he had trans­ported illegal substances before, approximately 6-7 times, and had been paid $2,500. He said he had driven the car to Riverside or Anaheim previously.

Hernandez has been detained without bail in the Metropoli­tan Correctional Center in San Diego.