By MARK REAGAN
Staff Writer
BROWNSVILLE — A Waco woman pleaded guilty yesterday to attempting to smuggle 100 pounds of methamphetamine through the B&M International Bridge.
Eliza Mendoza, 45, appeared before U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera and entered a cold plea, meaning there is no written plea agreement.
On April 23, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the bridge discovered a hidden compartment in the gas tank of the 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer she drove that contained liquid methamphetamine. The incident prompted a HAZMAT team to respond to the Gateway International Bridge, where the vehicle was moved, to extract the drugs from the gas tank, court records and testimony revealed.
Authorities later determined the liquid solution was equivalent to 100 pounds of meth.
Mendoza pleaded guilty to knowingly possessing with the intent to distribute 100 pounds of methamphetamine, and testimony revealed the government agreed to dismiss the remaining three counts of the indictment against the woman, including conspiracy to distribute 100 pounds of the drug, possession with intent to import 100 pounds of meth and conspiracy to import the narcotic.
Mendoza faces 10 years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10 million.
When asked whether she understood the sentence she could face, Mendoza replied “sort of.”
Olvera quickly told her that it’s a yes or no question and Mendoza replied, “Yes.”
Mendoza earlier told the court that she was taking prescribed medications but those medications didn’t affect her ability to understand the proceedings, and Federal Public Defender Sandra Zayas told Olvera she believed Mendoza understood the proceedings.
After her arrest, Mendoza told authorities her husband had died and that she had returned to Matamoros to pick up her husband’s vehicle, which was being repaired there after it had broken down in December in Brownsville. According to her story, she and her husband visited Brownsville because he was terminally ill and had never seen the border.
During a preliminary examination, Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Castro told U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Morgan that authorities had spoken to the woman’s family, who told them her husband was not dead.
Morgan ordered a mental health evaluation and told her she had to take any medications prescribed to her by a licensed practitioner.
Sentencing is scheduled for 10 a.m. Oct. 17.
