A couple from the Coachella Valley community of Thermal who trafficked illegal pesticides across the U.S.-Mexico border and sold them in California and beyond were sentenced Wednesday in San Diego.
Otilio Rodriguez Toledo and his wife, Alicia Aispuro Hernandez, pleaded guilty in 2023 to conspiracy to smuggle and distribute unlicensed pesticides and veterinary drugs.
During a sentencing hearing Wednesday at U.S. District Court in San Diego, Judge John Houston imposed a term of five months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, or probation, for Toledo. Hernandez avoided prison as a result of time served in jail awaiting disposition of the case, but she was ordered to serve 18 months’ supervised release.
Both defendants were also ordered to pay the government $2.19 million in penalties, which will be recouped through asset forfeiture.
“There is a reason customs laws exist, particularly when pesticides and chemicals are attempting to make their way into our country to potentially wreak havoc on our environment and potentially make people seriously ill,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Shawn Gibson said.
“Success of this investigation is directly attributed to the cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies working together to ensure uncommon illegal substance don’t make their way into our nation.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, while the couple resided in Riverside County, they maintained storage facilities near the Calexico Port of Entry in Imperial County.
Coordinating with unnamed smugglers, the defendants arranged for loads of unregulated substances to be covertly brought into the United States via Mexico. The smugglers would send the defendants camera phone pictures of the products to verify they had been dropped at the storage lockers, prosecutors said. Toledo and Hernandez would then go to the units and retrieve the contraband.
“The pesticides involved were primarily Taktic and Bovitraz, which are not registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for use in the United States,” according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office statement. “The smuggled veterinary drugs included Tetragent Aves, Metabolase, Terramicina, Cipio Vet, Baytril Max, Tylovet, Caterrol, Penicilina and Tylosma, which are not approved by the Food & Drug Administration for use in the United States.”
The agency said Taktic and Bovitraz contain amitraz, “which is toxic to bees if released into hives, and then ultimately to humans when it ends up in honey, honeycomb and beeswax.”
“Misuse of amitraz-containing products in beehives can result in exposures that could cause neurological effects and possibly reproductive effects in humans from the consumption of contaminated honey,” according to the statement.
The smuggling operation was uncovered in 2022, culminating in a federal grand jury indictment against the pair, about whom there was little background information.
Along with HSI, personnel from the FDA and EPA handled the investigation.
City News Service contributed to this article.
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