A Houston woman was sentenced to 70 months in prison during a hearing last week, federal court records show.
U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez sentenced Heidy Jackaline Diaz to a nearly 6-year prison sentence for her role in a smuggling attempt at a port of entry in Hidalgo.
Diaz was facing smuggling charges after she was arrested May 23, 2020, at the port for being in possession of more than 55 kilograms of meth, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Southern District of Texas.
She had arrived at the port driving a Ford truck and applied for admission into the United States from Mexico. During inspection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducted a search — via an X-ray examination — which revealed anomalies in the gas tank area of the vehicle. A K-9 also altered to the presence of narcotics, the release stated.
During her time at the port of entry, Diaz told agents she was visiting family in Reynosa, Mexico and was now headed back to her residence in Houston.
“Diaz admitted she knowingly imported the meth into the United States from Mexico with the intent to deliver them to another individual in McAllen,” the release stated.
Diaz told authorities she expected to be paid roughly $3,000 for her role in the smuggling attempt.
Diaz, 21, who has been in federal custody since her arrest in May 2020, pleaded guilty to one count of import of a controlled substance in August 2020. In exchange, the government agreed to dismiss two conspiracy charges and one distribution charge, records show.
In addition to the 70-month prison sentence, Diaz will be required to serve three years of supervised release, court notes show.
