Texans attempt to smuggle $2M in fentanyl from Mexico to Dallas
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 28: A U.S. Customs and Border Protection patch is displayed on the arm of an officer on September 28, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
DALLAS - Two people from the Texas Panhandle pleaded guilty Monday to trying to smuggle $2 million in fentanyl from Mexico and deliver it to Dallas, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Smuggling Attempt
The backstory:
Taneka Desha Felder, 27, of Amarillo, and Gustavo Morales Aguilar, 40, a naturalized U.S. citizen living in Dumas, admitted they traveled to Mexico on Dec. 17, 2024. There, they allowed drug smugglers to load their car with 10 bundles of fentanyl powder in the car’s hidden compartment. It was 11.65 kilograms of fentanyl.
They then tried to enter the United States from Mexico at the Lincoln Juarez International Bridge.
During inspection, authorities found the bundles hidden in the specially-manufactured compartment under the center console.
They admitted they bought the car a few days before going to Mexico just to smuggle the drugs on their return trip. Both admitted that they expected to be paid after successful delivery of the car and drugs to other people in Dallas.
What's next:
U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña will impose sentencing at a later date. Felder and Morales Aguilar face up to life in federal prison and a possible $10 million maximum fine.
Both have been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.
The Source: Information in this article is from U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas.