A 26-year-old Brownsville woman accused of smuggling cocaine and fentanyl through the Sarita checkpoint has been deemed a flight risk and ordered to remain in custody until her trial, federal documents reflect.
Jessica Guerra on Feb. 15 was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
In his order, U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignancio Torteya III states Guerra’s pretrial report found that she poses a flight risk due to the nature of her charge. Guerra lacks residential, community and financial ties to the area. She resides in Mexico and continued criminal activity while under supervision, the order states. “The defendant has a history of probation noncompliance, a motion to adjudicate is forthcoming and the presumption of dangerousness and risk of flight that arises in the case has not been overcome. It is ordered that the defendant be detained without bond pending trial.”
Federal court documents state that Guerra waived her appearance in an arraignment hearing scheduled for Feb. 24. She pleaded not guilty to the charges.
According to a criminal complaint, Guerra told U.S. Border Patrol agents she was going to be paid $2,200 to smuggle the narcotics from Brownsville to Houston.
The complaint states that on Jan. 20 Guerra presented herself to the agents for an immigration inspection while riding as a passenger in a Tornado bus. While in a secondary inspection area at the checkpoint, the agents noticed “unusual behavior from Guerra.”
The agents asked for consent to conduct a pat down on Guerra and she consented, the complaint states. The agents found two bundles strapped to her midsection under her shirt. One bundle contained 1.42 kilograms or 3 pounds of cocaine and the second contained 1.65 kilograms or 3.6 pounds of fentanyl, according to the complaint.
During her post-Miranda interview, Guerra admitted to knowingly and intentionally transporting the narcotics from Brownsville to Houston, the complaint states.
