Woman sent to federal prison for smuggling pure meth

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old Huntsville, Alabama, woman has been ordered to prison following her conviction for knowingly attempting to smuggle 20 pounds of pure meth, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Guadalupe Inostroza-Diaz pleaded guilty Sept. 26, 2019.

Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack handed Inostroza-Diaz a 70-month sentence to be immediately followed by five years of supervised release. At the hearing, the court noted that even though Inostroza-Diaz had no prior criminal history and only played a minor role in the drug distribution scheme, a sentence of more than five years was appropriate for trafficking meth.

On June 21, 2019, Inostroza-Diaz drove a white Nissan Altima into the primary inspection area of the Border Patrol (BP) checkpoint near Falfurrias. An X-ray search of the vehicle revealed bundles of meth concealed within the walls of an ice chest located in the car’s trunk.

Laboratory analysis later confirmed the substance in the bundles was 100% pure meth totaling 12 kilograms with a street value of more than $919,000.

She has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation with the assistance of BP. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Robert D. Thorpe Jr. and former AUSA Julie K. Hampton prosecuted the case.