ICE HSI, federal partner assisted investigation results in the indictment of a south Texas man for importing powerful psychedelic

MCALLEN, Texas – A south Texas man, indicted for importing dimethyltryptamine (DMT) from Brazil, following an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

On May 4, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment against Mario Alberto Molina, 25, from McAllen. According to court documents, the complaint originally filed in the case, CBP performed a routine inspection of an inbound package originating from Brazil in Miami, Florida. It was allegedly destined for Molina’s residence in McAllen. The charges allege the package was purported to be marked as natural dye for tie-dye purposes, but authorities allegedly discovered a powdery substance later determined to be 4.5 kilograms of DMT. On April 7, HSI executed a controlled delivery of the package at Molina’s residence, according to the complaint, after which they executed a federal search warrant. There, they allegedly found Molina and recovered the open package. DMT is a powerful hallucinogenic drug, most often in the form of a powder when synthetically constructed, with intense effects comparable to that of other psychedelic drugs. It is the primary psychoactive ingredient in the drug ayahuasca and is a Schedule I controlled substance.

Molina is expected to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia Medrano for his arraignment in the near future. If convicted, Molina faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a possible $1million maximum fine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Brostowin, Southern District of Texas, is prosecuting the case.

HSI encourages people to report suspicious activity, you are urged to call 1-866-348-2423.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 special agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.