Three residents of San Antonio have been sentenced following their convictions for conspiring to possess with intent to distribute approximately five kilograms of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani announced.
Lucille Nicole Mendoza, 43, Debra Ann Sauceda, 54, and Julian Santiago Espinoza Jr., 32, pleaded guilty on January 5, 2022. Chief U.S. District Judge Randy Crane has now sentenced Mendoza and Espinoza to 70 months each in federal prison. Sauceda received a 60-month prison term. All three will also serve three years of supervised release following their imprisonment.
The three were apprehended on May 31, 2020, at the Pharr Port of Entry while attempting to cross into the United States in a GMC Yukon. A secondary inspection by law enforcement revealed approximately five kilograms of meth hidden in the vehicle's battery.
The defendants will remain in custody until they are transferred to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Phelps prosecuting the case.