Two California residents appear in Del Rio federal drug case

Federal prosecutors alleged that Bertha Alisia Romo and Rhemi Raymond Hernandez helped move at least 50 grams of oxycodone and at least one kilogram of alprazolam, or Xanax, in a conspiracy that began in February 2023 and ran until April 22, 2026, with the drugs tied to the death of a purchaser. Both defendants made their initial appearances in Del Rio federal court after arrests in California on April 30 and an earlier appearance before a magistrate judge in the Central District of California.

The case was filed in the Western District of Texas on April 22 and places a major narcotics prosecution in the Del Rio Division, where federal court routinely handles cases that reach far beyond Val Verde County. The division covers seven counties, 13,149 square miles and an estimated population of 158,423, making the Del Rio courthouse a regional venue for prosecutions that can stretch from the border corridor into other states.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the indictment also charges Romo, 30, of Colton, California, and Hernandez, 25, of Fontana, California, with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. If convicted, they face up to life in prison. The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Warsame Galaydh is prosecuting it.

The Del Rio hearing marks the start of the public court process, not a resolution. The indictment is an allegation, and both defendants remain presumed innocent unless the government proves the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. No plea, detention ruling or sentence was reported in the filing.

The case adds to a recent string of serious drug prosecutions handled through the same federal courthouse. In January 2024, two defendants in Del Rio received a combined 25-year sentence in a methamphetamine-trafficking case. In 2023, federal prosecutors in Austin brought a separate fentanyl case involving counterfeit oxycodone and allegations of death and serious bodily injury. Together, those filings show how the Western District’s borderland docket continues to process major narcotics cases with consequences that reach well beyond the courthouse steps on South Main Street.