According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a Mexican politician was apprehended trying to transport about 100lbs of cocaine into Texas.
On June 10, US border patrol officers detained Denisse Ahumada Martinez, a councilwoman for the Reynosa Municipality in Tamaulipas State.
According to reports, the blonde bombshell was traveling to San Antonio with 93 pounds of cocaine worth $3.3 million (£2.6 million).
But she was stopped at a checkpoint that is primarily used to stop illegal immigration, just 62 miles from the US-Mexico border.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, here is where authorities found the councilwoman’s concealed cocaine sachets buried between the seats and doors of her Mazda pickup truck.
According to officials, border agents used X-ray technology to identify the suspect shipment before they found the pills wrapped in aluminum foil and adhesive tape.
In a meeting with representatives of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Martinez apparently acknowledged that this wasn’t the first time she’d smuggled drugs.
The conservative National Action Party (PAN), the second-largest party in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, is said to be the councilwoman’s party. She is said to be 24 years old.
But after Martinez’s arrest, the party has distanced itself from her and denied that she is a member.
In a statement, PAN officials said: “The councilwoman for Reynosa, Denisse Ahumada Martinez, is not a member or affiliated with the party.”
Reynosa is a border city renowned for its high level of violence between Mexican cartels.
Due of the possibility of “crime and kidnapping,” the US State Department advises citizens against visiting the state in which it is located.
They claim organized crime, including “gun battles, murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and forced disappearances” are “common” along the northern border.
“Heavily armed members of criminal groups frequently patrol areas of the state and operate with impunity,” the department continued, “particularly along the border region from Reynosa to Nuevo Laredo.”
Martinez initially belonged to the Mexican Ecologist Green Party and was elected as a councilwoman for Reynosa.
Prior to entering politics, she worked in import-export and for a manufacturing company. She has a bachelor’s degree in international relations.
She was apparently turned down for bail and is now being accused of narcotics possession and attempted distribution.