Female Drug Smuggler Sent to Federal Prison

LAREDO, Texas – A 32-year-old resident of Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico, has been ordered to prison following her conviction of conspiracy to import cocaine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. Susana Carolina Enriquez-Mendez pleaded guilty Dec. 6, 2016.

Late this afternoon, U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo sentenced Enriquez-Mendez to 37 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face deportation proceedings following completion of her prison term.

On Sept. 24, 2016, Enriquez-Mendez approached the Lincoln Juarez Bridge in Laredo as a passenger in a Mexican taxi cab. After a thorough inspection, agents discovered 4.38 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the inner lining of her suitcase and placed her under arrest.

She has been in custody since her arrest where she will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Customs and Border Protection and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney José Angel Flores Jr. prosecuted the case.