Mexican national imprisoned for attempting to smuggle drugs with her daughter in tow

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas | Press Release

A 49-year-old woman has been sentenced for her role in conspiring to import nearly six kilograms of cocaine from Mexico, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

Carmen Julia Carreon Segovia pleaded guilty June 12, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal has now ordered Carreon Segovia to serve 120 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, she is expected to face removal proceedings following her imprisonment.

“Even more insidious than smuggling a dangerous and highly addictive drug into the United States is bringing along your own minor child, exposing her needlessly to a dangerous underworld,” said Hamdani. “Segovia will now have 10 years in a prison cell to contemplate the consequences of her actions, actions that affect and endangered her teenage daughter.”

On Jan. 19, 2024, Carreon Segovia drove an SUV to the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo to apply for admission into the United States. Her 16-year-old daughter was riding as passenger.

Authorities inspected the vehicle and found eight bundles containing 6.30 kilograms of cocaine with an approximate street value of $90,000. Law enforcement discovered the bundles hidden in the front fender areas of the SUV.

Carreon Segovia denied any knowledge of the drugs. After her arrest, authorities revoked her non-immigrant visa.

She subsequently admitted to knowing the other co-conspirators concealed drugs somewhere within the vehicle for her to attempt to smuggle them into the United States.

Carreon Segovia will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Homero Ramirez prosecuted the case.