Mexican national sentenced for trafficking cocaine into US from Mexico

PECOS A Mexican national has been sentenced in a federal court in Pecos to 41 months in prison for cocaine trafficking.

According to court documents, Ana Cristina Alarcon Rios, 24, of Chihuahua, was stopped for speeding along Highway 90 in Alpine by a Brewster County Sheriff’s Deputy. A canine search of her vehicle revealed 10 bundles containing 11.1 kilograms of cocaine destined for Denver, Colorado. Rios pleaded guilty on Aug. 25, 2023, to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

“This sentence serves as a warning to anyone who would consider trafficking illicit drugs into the U.S.,” U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas said in a news release. “Thanks to our partners at the local and federal levels, these offenders run a high risk of being apprehended and prosecuted for their crimes.”

HSI and the Brewster County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Greenbaum and Dustin Farahnak prosecuted the case.