A Honduran woman arrested for trafficking drugs over the southern border Saturday will also face charges for punching the horse of a Border Patrol agent.
Karla Barnegas-Banegas, 29, and eight others were apprehended late Saturday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials on patrol in Why, Ariz., a small town 25 miles north of the border, according to multiple reports Tuesday.
The group was carrying seven backpacks stuffed with 374 pounds of alleged marijuana, which officials said had a street value of $500,000.
Following the arrests of the nine people, agents claimed Barnegas-Banegas punched a Border Patrol horse in its face with a closed fist. The suspect was taken into custody on suspicion of drug possession and transport in addition to animal cruelty to a work animal.
Barnegas-Banegas will appear in court Tuesday for an initial hearing.
