Corporal pleads guilty to insulin smuggling

? A fourth person has pleaded guilty in a conspiracy to steal drugs from Army pharmacies nationwide.

Cpl. Eric Hernandez, 22, of Brownsville, Texas, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Wichita to transporting stolen goods via interstate commerce.

Police found nearly $200,000 worth of insulin in Hernandez’s truck when he was arrested in Topeka in 2003. His arrest helped authorities uncover the multimillion dollar smuggling ring.

Hernandez, who received about $500 in drink, food and entertainment for his part in the scheme, will face between three months and a year in federal prison.

Hernandez was among 11 people indicted in the ring that authorities said stole insulin from Army base pharmacies, including Fort Riley’s, and resold it on the Internet. The accused ringleader, Ronald Ausberry, and his wife, Sabrina, are scheduled for plea hearings later this month.

Others have been indicted from pharmacies at Fort Knox, Ky.; Walter Reed Army Hospital in the Washington, D.C., area; Fort Gordon, Ga.; and Fort Polk, La.

Prosecutors say the conspiracy netted more than $2.3 million.