San Antonio woman caught at Brownsville bridge with 124 pounds of meth

United States Customs and Border Protection officers at the Gateway International Bridge arrested a woman after they discovered over 43 packages of methamphetamine concealed within her vehicle on Tuesday, according to a criminal complaint.

Kayla Danielle Valdez, of San Antonio, was charged with knowingly possessing with intent to distribute 124 pounds of methamphetamine concealed within a white 2014 Nissan Juke while crossing into the U.S. from Mexico.

At about 9:29 a.m. on Tuesday, Valdez entered the U.S. in the Nissan Juke through the vehicle lane at the Gateway International Bridge in Brownsville when officers noticed Valdez would avoid eye contact and maintained a strong grip of the steering wheel, according to the complaint.

Valdez was referred to a secondary inspection where a K-9 unit alerted officers to her Juke.

“Further inspection of the vehicle by [officers] revealed 43 vacuum-sealed packages concealed within hidden aftermarket compartments running the left of the passenger cabin beneath the seats and under the floorboard on both the driver and passenger side,” the complaint said.

The packages contained a white crystalline substance which tested positive for the characteristics of methamphetamine with a weight of approximately 124 pounds.

During an interview with law enforcement, Valdez admitted to boarding a bus on Monday and traveling from San Antonio to Matamoros, according to the complaint.

Once there, Valdez was picked up by a man related to her boyfriend from the bus station and was taken to a parking garage where she was given possession of the Juke, which she later drove to the Gateway International Bridge.

Valdez went on to say that her boyfriend’s godfather, a man named Enrique Jacobo, also known as “Kiki,” directed her to meet a man to pick up the vehicle in Mexico.

“Valdez confirmed that she spoke to Jacobo several times during the trip to Mexico and while driving the Nissan Juke to the U.S.,” the complaint said.

Text messages were found on Valdez’s phone revealing a conversation between her and Jacobo which detailed the coordination of travel to Wichita, Kansas, and Chicago.

One text message from Jacobo sent the day of her arrest instructed Valdez to delete his text messages.

Valdez made her first appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Betancourt in Brownsville federal court.

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