Woman Arrested at Border for Allegedly Smuggling 32 Kilograms of Meth in Cans of Beer

(Photo: Starr County Sheriff’s Office)

Yesterday, authorities responded to the Roma Port of Entry in Texas for a narcotics seizure investigation. Starr Country Sheriff’s Office investigators arrested a woman allegedly transporting 32 kilograms of methamphetamine in Victoria Mexican Lager Beer cans across the border. 

The 23-year-old, Karina Rios was caught attempting to transport the beer cans of meth across the U.S.-Mexico border. Roma Port of Entry Customs and Border Protection Officers discovered the narcotics during a secondary inspection. 

Sheriff’s Officers booked at Starr County Jail and charged her with Possession of a Controlled Substance which is considered part of Penalty Group 1, according to Texas law. No Bond was set for Rios at the time of reporting and the investigation is currently ongoing.

For the past several years, Mexican drug cartels have been increasing production of synthetic drugs like meth and fentanyl.

This isn’t the first incident where booze has been used to disguise illicit drugs. In April, a massive shipment of meth disguised as over 11,000 tequila bottles with were Intercepted by the Mexican Navy at Shipping Port. More recently in July of this year, there was a case where 7,200 mezcal bottles hiding nearly 10 tons of liquid meth bound for Australia were intercepted by the Mexican Marines. 

Although the recent Roma Port arrest was much smaller in scale, the value of the haul could have been worth tens of thousands of dollars wholesale. Whereas, if the 32 kilograms of methamphetamine hidden in beer cans had made it to the street, it could have been worth millions depending on the purity.

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