A 46-year-old Huffman resident has been sent to prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Priscella Yvette Cervantes is the estranged wife of a former Harris County Precinct 1 deputy constable. A federal jury convicted her Oct. 25, 2022, following a four day-trial and approximately two hours of deliberations.

Today, U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced her to a total of 121 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court heard additional argument about the sufficiency of the evidence that detailed the criminal investigation. 

On or about Dec. 5, 2020, Cervantes escorted a tractor-trailer in a “ghost” police vehicle – which is a vehicle that has lights and sirens and a police decal. Her co-defendant and now estranged husband, Alexsandar S. Reyes, met her off Interstate 10 in his marked constable vehicle and then continued to escort the tractor trailer through the Houston area on I-10.

After the drug escort, Reyes received a total of $6000 in cash which Cervantes believed would be split with her.  

At trial, the defense attempted to convince the jury that Cervantes did not know anything about the drug proceed monies or the cocaine.  The jury did not believe those claims and found her guilty as charged.

Reyes, 49, also of  Huffman, had previously pleaded guilty and is pending sentencing.

Cervantes has been in custody since the return of the verdicts where she will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI conducted the investigation with assistance of Harris County Precinct 1 Constable’s Office, Houston Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Ferko and Heather Winter prosecuted the case.

Original source can be found here.