One of two defendants facing federal drug trafficking charges in Texarkana has pleaded guilty, and the second has entered notice of her intent to do the same.
Myrna Guadalupe Corrujedo, 34, and Manuel Hernandez, 60, both of Detroit, Mich., were allegedly in possession of more than 10 kilos of powder cocaine when they were stopped Aug. 9, 2017, by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers as they traveled along Interstate 30 near Mount Pleasant, Texas, according to testimony given at a hearing in September 2017.
In July, Corrujedo's lawyer, Craig Henry of Texarkana, and Hernandez' lawyer, Charles Van Cleef of Longview, Texas, filed a joint motion asking that their clients be tried separately. The motion cited conflicting defenses which essentially boiled down to each defendant pointing the finger at the other.
Since then, Hernandez has pleaded guilty and Corrujedo has filed notice of a plea agreement. Hernandez pleaded guilty to count two of the indictment, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, at a hearing Aug. 16 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Caroline Craven in the Texarkana Division of the Eastern District of Texas.
Hernandez will be scheduled for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Robert Schroeder once the court has received a pre-sentence investigation report, which will include a recommendation for punishment under federal sentencing guidelines. Hernandez, who had been free on an unsecured appearance bond, was remanded to the custody of U.S. Marshals by Craven at the end of the plea hearing.
According to a factual basis filed in Hernandez's case on the day of his guilty plea, he intended to take the cocaine from McAllen, Texas, to Detroit for distribution. The factual basis in Hernandez's case makes no mention of Corrujedo.
According to earlier testimony, Corrujedo was driving a Mercury Marquis owned by Hernandez over the speed limit, prompting DPS Trooper Charles Cannon to make a traffic stop. Several factors led Cannon to ask for permission to search the car, a request granted by both Corrujedo and Hernandez. Cannon noticed some paint in the back seat area didn't match the original paint and suspected an alteration had been made to create a hiding spot. A law enforcement canine alerted to the presence of drugs, and a compartment filled with cocaine was discovered.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek filed a notice Aug. 8 that a plea agreement has been reached in Corrujedo's case. Both defendants face 10 years to life in federal prison and a fine of up to $10 million.