PHARR — The former Sullivan City police chief faces felony prescription drug charges after he and his wife were found in possession of more than 1,000 undeclared pills at a port of entry, court records show.
Jose Abrego Anaya and his wife, Monica Lizeth Anaya, both of Pharr, were arrested Jan. 15 while attempting to enter the U.S. in Jose Anaya’s Chevrolet Suburban, where more than 1,000 prescription pills were found after a search. The couple did not disclose the medications to U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
“ … CBPO agents advised they stopped a 2012 Chevrolet Suburban with Texas license plates (redacted) coming into the United States from Mexico….Agents then found undeclared pills in the passenger’s purse,” the complaint against the couple stated.
More pills were also found inside a center console.
In all, agents found 1,170 prescription pills, including anti-anxiety and powerful pain relief pills like Norex, Tramadol and Alprazolam, to name a few.
After the arrest, Monica Anaya, 37, admitted to authorities that she “regularly” crosses pills and sends them to other states via mail in exchange for money, the record shows.
“Mrs. Anaya stated her husband Jose Anaya, who was driving the vehicle, was aware of the pills being crossed and frequently takes the pills,” the document states.
According to correspondence with a communications officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Tuesday afternoon, an employee named Jose Abrego Anaya was employed with the agency, but he is not working there anymore.
In April 2012, Jose Anaya was fired from the Sullivan City police department for “unprofessional conduct” after a short-lived stint as the police chief.
At the time, Anaya, who only lasted eight months as the city’s top cop, had taken over for police chief Hernan Guerra Jr., who had been sentenced to a 10-year prison term in connection with a federal drug trafficking case.
Jose Anaya and Monica Anaya face six counts of possession of a controlled substance, more than 28 grams but less than 200 grams, each, and are both free on bonds of $50,000 and $35,000, respectively, jail records show.
