Mission woman sentenced to 10 years for smuggling 39lbs of cocaine

McALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Mission woman was sentenced to federal prison for attempting to smuggle cocaine into the U.S., the U.S. Attorney's Office stated.

On May 22, 2023, 41-year-old Brenda Bazaldua-Mariscal pleaded guilty to importing cocaine.

On Aug. 12, 2021, Bazaldua-Mariscal attempted to cross to the U.S. through the Pharr Port of Entry in a Lincoln MKX, a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office stated.

At the port, authorities noticed inconsistencies in her whereabouts and referred her to a secondary inspection.

During the inspection, a K-9 alerted the officers to the front of the vehicle where they found 16 bundles of cocaine inside a compartment on the front bumper, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

The bundles weighed a total of 39 pounds and had an estimated street value of $234,000.

Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced Bazaldua-Mariscal to 10 years of federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

"At the hearing, the court heard additional evidence about the organizational structure of the drug trafficking organization," said U.S. Attorney Almadar S. Hamdani. In handing down the sentence, Judge Crane noted her previous 60-month sentence."

Bazaldua-Mariscal is pending a transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons Facility.