Three people who referred to themselves as the “Suicide Squad” pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle more than $1.6 million worth of drugs into the United States, according a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The Nashville, Tennessee residents — Liz Jomayra Diaz-Colon, 23, Elias Herrera, 30, and co-conspirator Jonathan Guemez, 30 — conspired to import heroin and fentanyl from Mexico, the news release said.
According to the report, the trio began working with Mexican drug traffickers in 2021 to coordinate the transportation of multiple drug loads.
Diaz-Colon tried to cross the border on Aug. 20 with a little over 10 pounds of heroin in her vehicle, but a K-9 unit alerted Border Patrol agents, and they found the drugs concealed in the battery of her Jeep Cherokee, the release said.
The next day, Herrera tried to cross the checkpoint too, but authorities discovered more than 10 pounds of fentanyl also inside the vehicle’s battery.
Guemez also attempted to smuggle over 8 pounds of heroin into the country, but law enforcement managed to seize the narcotics, according to the document.
An investigation revealed the trio was communicating via WhatsApp, a social media messaging application for cell phones. They referred to themselves as the “Suicide Squad” and conspired to import a total of nearly 20 pounds of heroin and nearly 9 pounds of fentanyl, which authorities estimate are worth about $1,622,880.
The trio remained in custody Tuesday pending their sentencing hearings. Guemez was set to face his Tuesday, while hearings for Diaz-Colon and Herrera were scheduled for July 12.
Each conspirator faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison with a possible $10 million maximum fine.
