NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities say two Mexican men arrested in Arizona last year have been convicted of marijuana smuggling in their home country.
Arizona authorities said Monday that it's the first convictions under the Controlled Substances Program between the governments of the U.S. and Mexico that began last October. Eighteen other cases await prosecution.
They say 23-year-old Ramon Bejarano-Badilla and 24-year-old Israel Valle-Leon both were sentenced to 10-year prison terms by a federal judge in Sonora, Mexico.
They say Bjarano-Badilla was arrested on Nov. 30, 2009, at the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Ariz., after CBP officers found more than 37 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle he was driving.
Authorities say Valle-Leon was arrested at the DeConcini port on Dec. 3, 2009, after officers discovered more than 16 pounds of marijuana concealed in his vehicle.
