HOUSTON — Two Houston women were sentenced to 10 years in federal prison each after admitting to smuggling drugs across the southern border.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Clarissa Hernandez, 24, attempted to cross a Border Patrol checkpoint in February 2022 with 15 bundles of cocaine and 32,500 disguised fentanyl pills hidden in the front and rear bumpers of her SUV.
The DOJ said Sarah Morales, 24, also tried to pass through the checkpoint in a separate vehicle carrying 12 bundles of cocaine, three bundles of heroin and a bundle of fentanyl in the bumpers of her car.
The two admitted to conspiring to smuggle a total of 25.36 kilograms of cocaine, 4.94 kilograms of fentanyl and 244 grams of heroin. The DOJ said the estimated value of the drugs was approximately $2.25 million.
The two are also accused of buying guns in Houston and exporting them across the border to Mexico.
Morales and Hernandez were sentenced to 10 years behind bars followed by five years of supervised release.
