EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Two California women who say they went to Mexico to see a dentist are in federal custody for allegedly trying to drive back with 72 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in their vehicle.
Mireya Rodarte and Yumili Flores drove up to an inspection booth at the San Ysidro Port of Entry last week and told a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer they went to Rosarito, Mexico, to eat, shop and get some dental work done.
As the women were being interviewed and their citizenship documents verified, the CBP officer received an alert on his computer and directed Flores to drive the 2013 Ford Explorer to a secondary inspection area. Court documents show a canine officer detected the presence of narcotics in the Explorer; an X-ray scan of the vehicle revealed irregularities on the roof.
Records show CBP officers found a hidden compartment on the roof and pulled 12 packages with a total weight of 32.9 kilograms (72.5 pounds) of a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine.
During separate interviews with federal officers, Rodarte and Flores denied knowing the vehicle they drove carried concealed drugs. The women stuck to their account they went to Mexico to see the dentist and were driving back to Vista, California, records show.
The women were placed in federal custody and charged with felony importation of a controlled substance, according to a complaint filed in U.S. District Court for the District of California. A preliminary detention hearing has been set for Feb. 22 before U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu in San Diego.
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