ICE Nogales, CBP case sends Phoenix woman to over 8 years in prison for narcotics trafficking, bankruptcy fraud

NOGALES, Ariz. – A Phoenix woman was sentenced May 22, to 100 months in prison, followed by 60 months of supervised release for her involvement in drug trafficking and bankruptcy fraud. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“The defendant in this case not only attempted to smuggle drugs into the US but also demonstrated a lack of responsibility for her role in absconding law enforcement resulting in a fugitive status for her role in breaking numerous laws including financial fraud,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge for Arizona Francisco B. Burrola. “HSI and CBPs’ message is clear, if caught smuggling drugs into the US in addition to knowingly and willingly breaking laws – you will pay for your actions as in this case of almost a decade in prison. You cannot evade the law.”

Betty Nora Anderson, 65, of Phoenix, previously pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and Methamphetamine, Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Falsification of Records in a Bankruptcy Proceeding.

In September 2022, CBP officers arrested Anderson as she attempted to smuggle 4.54 kilograms of fentanyl and 13.42 kilograms of methamphetamine into the United States from Mexico in her vehicle. After her arrest, Anderson was permitted to reside in the community pending the disposition of her case; however, she absconded twice from court supervision, ultimately leading to her pre-trial incarceration.

In March 2023, while a fugitive from justice in the case, Anderson filed a petition for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona. Anderson’s petition contained false and misleading statements, which resulted in the discharge of debts that Anderson owed to her creditors. As part of her sentence in this case, Anderson was ordered to make restitution to those creditors in the amount of $52,358.00, the approximate total of her debt.     

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael R. Lizano and Micah Schmit, District of Arizona, Tucson, handled the prosecution.