A woman from Mexico was sentenced to 10 years in a federal prison after trying to smuggle cocaine into the United States while her daughter was a passenger in her vehicle, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Carmen Julia Carreon Segovia, 49, pleaded guilty June 12, 2024, and was sentenced for her role in conspiring to import more than 6 kilograms of cocaine from Mexico, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas Alamdar S. Hamdani announced in a news release Monday.
U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal sentenced her. Because she is not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face removal proceedings after she is released from prison.
“Even more insidious than smuggling a dangerous and highly addictive drug into the United States is bringing along your own minor child, exposing her needlessly to a dangerous underworld,” Hamdani said. “Segovia will now have 10 years in a prison cell to contemplate the consequences of her actions, actions that affect and endangered her teenage daughter.”
Authorities said that on Jan. 19, 2024, Carreon Segovia drove an SUV to the Juárez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo to apply for admission into the United States. Her 16-year-old daughter was a passenger in the SUV.
Border officers inspected the SUV and found eight bundles with 6.3 kilograms, or nearly 14 pounds, of cocaine with an approximate street value of $90,000. The bundles were found hidden in the SUV’s front fender areas.
Carreon Segovia denied knowing about the drugs. However, she later admitted knowing other coconspirators hid the cocaine somewhere in the SUV so she could try to smuggle it into the United States.
Authorities revoked her nonimmigrant visa after she was arrested.
She will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, which will be determined later.
Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with help from Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.
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