Woman sentenced in South Texas to more than 7 years in federal prison for importing methamphetamine

MCALLEN, Texas — A woman from the United States residing in Mexico was sentenced Tuesday to more than seven years in federal prison for illegally importing methamphetamine from Mexico into the United States.  

This sentencing was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez, Southern District of Texas. This investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with the assistance of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Dina Maria Palacios, 37, was sentenced Aug. 1 by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez to serve 87 months’ in prison to be followed by three years supervised release. Before Judge Alvarez announced the sentence, she took into consideration Palacios’ conduct as well as the fact that she had her 16-year-old daughter with her during the crime. Palacios pleaded guilty to the charge on April 4, 2017. After the sentencing, Judge Alvarez noted that methamphetamine is one of the worst drugs that destroys people, and the high purity level involved in this case made it even more toxic.

According to court documents, Palacios admitted that on Jan. 6, 2017, she had driven a vehicle from Mexico into the United States through the Pharr (Texas) port of entry, knowing the vehicle contained a controlled substance. Upon inspection, CBP officers discovered methamphetamine hidden within the rear cargo area of the vehicle.  Officers seized 23 packages weighing about 25 kilograms (55 pounds) of methamphetamine.

Palacios will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Linda Requenez, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.