BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A man and woman are being held without bond after authorities found 19 pounds of fentanyl in a vehicle, court documents reveal.
Federal records show Alyssa Marie Maldonado and Aaron Villarreal were arrested on charges of possession and conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 19.18 pounds of fentanyl.
Homeland Security Investigations responded to the Brownsville-Matamoros port of entry Sunday regarding a silver Chevrolet Camaro with Texas tags.
The vehicle was operated by Maldonado and accompanied by Villarreal, a criminal complaint stated.
During a secondary inspection of the vehicle, a K9 alerted officers, which prompted further examination. An X-ray of the vehicle revealed an object inside the gas tank.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection removed 22 packages from the gas tank. Of those, 18 contained pills and the other four contained bricks of a powdery substance.
“Both the pills and the powder tested positive for fentanyl,” the complaint stated.
Authorities searched both Maldonado and Villarreal’s cellphones. Maldonado’s phone revealed multiple photos of a crystallized substance, believed to be methamphetamine. Additional photos showed the substance being weighed on a scale, in what appeared to be the same Camaro, the complaint details.
Additionally, the Apple Maps app on Maldonado’s phone revealed frequent searches of Border Patrol checkpoints between Brownsville and Houston.
The complaint states the phone also contained a video where Villarreal could be heard saying that selling drugs is not paying the bills.
Villarreal’s phone revealed conversations with a contact in Sinaloa, Mexico, which explained where and when to leave the vehicle after he arrived in Mexico.
The two made their initial appearances in court on Monday.
They have a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday and remain held without bond.
Read: Read More