A Thermal couple who oversaw a trafficking operation that entailed illegally transporting pesticides and other prohibited products across the U.S.-Mexico border and selling the unregulated substances throughout California and elsewhere were sentenced Wednesday in federal court.

Otilio Rodriguez Toledo and his wife, Alicia Aispuro Hernandez, pleaded guilty in 2023 to conspiracy to smuggle and distribute unlicensed pesticides and veterinary drugs.

During a sentencing hearing Wednesday at U.S. District Court in San Diego, Judge John Houston imposed a term of five months in federal prison and three years of supervised release, or probation, for Toledo. Hernandez avoided prison as a result of time served in jail awaiting disposition of the case, but she was ordered to serve 18 months’ supervi

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