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A woman who was set to plead guilty to smuggling more than $500,000 in “inflatable devices” more than 13 years ago, but skipped out on the hearing in a McAllen federal courtroom has been arrested in Laredo.
Court records indicate Leticia Pineda was arrested in Laredo on Wednesday. She’s scheduled for an initial appearance in a Laredo federal courtroom on Thursday. The details of her arrest aren’t immediately clear.
She has been a fugitive since June 7, 2011 when she was scheduled to plead guilty, court records show.
Pineda was initially arrested on Feb. 23, 2011 along with Lilia Camacho-Torres and Yeraldin Jimenez-Ruiz.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers encountered the trio that day on a commercial passenger bus at the Hidalgo Port of Entry that was destined for Mexico, according to a criminal complaint.
“The passengers were then instructed to exit the bus and claim their luggage and possessions,” the complaint stated. “Several items were recovered by three of the passengers, Leticia Pineda, Lilia Camacho-Torres, and Yeraldin Jimenez Ruiz.”
CBP officers inspected their luggage and found cardboard boxes containing “several inflatable devices.”
Pineda claimed ownership of one of the boxes, which is where CBP officers found $554,121, according to the complaint.
During an interview, she told a Homeland Security Investigations special agent that she was recruited to transport an unknown amount of currency from Atlanta to Mexico City, according to the complaint.
She said she was paid $3,500 up front and would receive another $3,500 upon delivery of the cash.
Camacho-Torres, meanwhile, claimed ownership of two of the boxes containing the inflatable devices where CBP officers found an additional $500,676.
“While obtaining the biographical data of Camacho as well as names of relatives traveling with her, Camacho uttered she had involved a relative of hers, Ruiz, in the situation she was in,” the complaint stated.
She then asked for an attorney. Camacho-Torres was later sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison.
Jimenez-Ruiz spoke with a special agent after her arrest and said she was going to be paid $10,000 for her participation in the bulk cash smuggling attempt, including a $1,000 up front payment for travel expenses.
She told investigators Camacho-Torres took care of most of her arrangements.
“Ruiz further stated Camacho encouraged Ruiz to bring her four-year-old minor daughter with her to appear less suspicious,” the complaint stated. “According to Ruiz, she and Camacho were unaware of Pineda’s circumstances and/or arrangements.”
The indictment said authorities found her to be in possession of $404,126.
She was later sentenced to one-and-a-half years in federal prison.
In all, authorities found a total of $1,458,923 concealed in their luggage during the smuggling attempt, according to the indictment.
