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Federal authorities on Wednesday seized 101 pounds of cocaine and approximately 14 pounds of heroin at international bridges in Hidalgo and Cameron counties.
The largest seizure happened at the Anzalduas Port of Entry when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers encountered Eugenia Lessard, born in 1961.
She told CBP during the inspection that she was in the Valley to go shopping and stay with a friend in Edinburg for a couple days. She was referred for a secondary inspection, which is where authorities found 67 pounds of cocaine and 14 pounds of heroin hidden inside her vehicle, according to a criminal complaint.
“Database records revealed that Lessard was the registered owner of the vehicle she was operating and had made several international crossings operating the vehicle,” the complaint stated.
That document said that Homeland Security Investigations special agents on Aug. 19 received an investigative lead from the Kleberg County Attorney’s Specialized Crimes and Narcotics Task Force regarding Lessard, who had been encountered there.
“While conducting a traffic stop on the vehicle she was operating, Task Force personnel observed tampering and natural voids in the rear cargo area of the vehicle,” the complaint stated. “This discovery coupled with observed inconsistencies in her story, plus their previous experience and training lead them to believe that Lessard was possibly involved in smuggling activities.”
She also provided inconsistent statements after her arrest, the complaint said.
Lessard made a first appearance Thursday in McAllen federal court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Nadia S Medrano, court records show.
That same day, CBP officers at the B&M International Bridge in Brownsville encountered Mirna Carolina Celis attempting to make entry into the country in a 2019 silver Dodge Journey.
She was referred for a secondary inspection where CBP discovered approximately 34 pounds of cocaine concealed in the vehicle’s rocker panels.
HSI special agents responded and Celis admitted to knowing about the drugs and said she was going to be paid for crossing the cocaine, according to a federal complaint.
“Celis also admitted to having smuggled drugs previously on approximately 5 separate occasions,” the complaint stated.
She made also made a first appearance on Thursday in Brownsville federal court in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya III, who ordered her temporarily held without bond pending a detention hearing.
