Former CBP inspector to spend time in federal prison

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspector has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison on various charges ranging fro drug trafficking to bribery.

Sergio Lopez Hernandez, 41, of Brownsville, appeared in federal court today where U.S. District Judge Hilda Tagle sentenced Hernandez to 135 months in prison and ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine, said U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson in a press release.

Hernandez was convicted April 13, following his guilty plea to conspiring to transport undocumented immigrants within the U.S., bringing them into the U.S. for private financial gain, accepting bribes in his capacity as a government official as well as possessing with intent to distribute 15 kilograms of cocaine, federal authorities said.

At the time of his re-arraignment, Hernandez admitted that between July 2008 and Jan. 28, 2009, while employed as a CBP inspector, he demanded, sought, received and accepted cash from co-conspirators in amounts in excess of $150,000 to allow illegal aliens and narcotics to enter the U.S.

He also admitted to possessing with intent to distribute approximately 15 kilograms of cocaine on Jan. 28, 2009.