A 30-year-old Tucson woman has been sentenced to five years in prison in a border drug-smuggling case, authorities say.
Alegria Pompeya Mendoza-Castro pleaded guilty in November 2023 to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona says.
On June 4, U.S. District Judge John C. Hinderaker sentenced Mendoza-Castro to 60 months in prison, the release said.
In April 2023, about 453,000 fentanyl-laced pills and one kilogram of fentanyl powder was found in the spare tire of a vehicle Mendoza-Castro was driving from Mexico through the DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, the release said.