EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Two women who allegedly admitted to regularly taking large amounts of cash from Phoenix to Mexico say they didn’t know their car was packed with drugs when they tried to re-enter the United States.
Jocelinne Guadalupe Carrillo Rivera and Perla Marivy Gomez Galvez were arrested earlier this month at the Dennis DeConcini port of entry in Nogales, Arizona, when a canine officer smelled drugs in their vehicle. Court records show a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer had the 2013 Ford Fiesta go through an X-ray machine where officers spotted suspicious cargo.
Records show CBP officers thoroughly checked the car and found 46 packages containing 28.4 kilos (62 pounds) of fentanyl. Border agents arrested the women on suspicion of conspiring to import drugs into the United States. They were read their rights but agreed to speak to investigators, nonetheless.
Carrillo allegedly said she picked up $20,000 from an individual in Phoenix and promised $1,000 if she delivered it to “a coordinator” in Mexico, no questions asked. Carrillo told investigators she and her traveling companion Gomez delivered the undeclared cash to Mexico “two to three times a month,” court records show.
She denied knowing her vehicle was carrying drugs and told border officers she even asked the coordinator if he had loaded prohibited items in the car. She told officers the coordinator said “no,” court records show.
Gomez also told officers she and Carrillo were hired in Arizona to deliver undeclared currency to Mexico. She said the two were paid a total of $1,800 for each delivery. However, she told officers she and Carrillo were always nervous when coming back to the U.S. because they “always suspected their vehicle was loaded with drugs,” court records show.
A grand jury in U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona on Wednesday returned a multi-count indictment against the two women on charges of conspiracy, importation and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl in connection with their Dec. 1 arrest.
Arraignment is set for 11 a.m. on Jan. 19, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Maria S. Aguilera, in Phoenix.
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