A mother and daughter face drug smuggling charges related to their arrest at a port of entry last November, records show.
Jacqueline Hernandez, 36, and Karina Hernandez, 18, each face prison time after they admitted they paid for methamphetamine in Mexico and attempted to smuggle it back into the country in exchange for cash payment.
The mother and daughter were found in possession of methamphetamine during an attempt to cross into the country from Mexico, records show.
Both women have separate sentencing hearings set for late August after they each entered into plea agreements earlier this year with government prosecutors — effectively avoiding jury trials.
The charges stem from a November 2020 incident in which the women attempted to cross into the U.S. from Mexico but were each found with narcotics concealed on them, the complaint against the women states.
On Nov. 18, 2020, the two attempted to cross into Mexico in a Ford Mustang at the Hidalgo port of entry, and were sent for a secondary inspection.
During a secondary inspection of the women’s vehicle, and a subsequent “pat down,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers discovered a total of half a kilogram of methamphetamine concealed on each woman.
“During a pat down of J. Hernandez, the CBP officer felt a hard item in the groin area of J. Hernandez. When asked what she had in her groin area, J. Hernandez stated that they were, ‘drugs,’” the complaint states.
When the CBP officer asked Karina Hernandez if she had anything on her body, she allegedly told the officer, ‘yes, same as my mom,’ referring to Jacqueline Hernandez, the document states.
During their respective interviews with federal authorities, Jacqueline and Karina Hernandez each admitted their roles in a scheme to smuggle the meth into the U.S.
“J. Hernandez admitted to having received $1,300 to take into Mexico to pay for the narcotics both her and K. Hernandez were carrying. J. Hernandez stated that she would be paid $500 for crossing the narcotics from Mexico into the United States and delivering them,” the court record shows.
