A South Texas woman is facing federal drug trafficking charges after authorities say she drove a minivan loaded with nearly 520 pounds of methamphetamine and heroin across the U.S.-Mexico border and up Interstate 35. She ended up being pulled over for speeding in Hill County where she was busted.
According to court documents, the trooper allegedly noticed multiple indicators of deception during the stop, along with an inconsistent account of Juarez’s travel plans to Dallas. Growing suspicious, the trooper deployed a K-9 unit—DPS K-9 Karma—who caught the scent of narcotics coming from the minivan.
Hidden inside an aftermarket compartment built into the vehicle, investigators allegedly found approximately 480 pounds of methamphetamine and 40 pounds of black tar heroin.
Federal prosecutors allege Juarez had picked up the narcotics in Mexico, crossed into the United States through the Roma Point of Entry, and was headed to deliver the drugs in Dallas.
Juarez is charged with possession with intent to deliver at least 500 grams of methamphetamine. If convicted, she faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and could receive up to life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after weighing U.S. sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Smith-Burris is prosecuting the case.
The bust is part of a broader federal push targeting drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations. The case has been designated as part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide DOJ initiative aimed at dismantling cartels, curbing illegal immigration, and protecting communities from violent crime and drug trafficking.
That same crackdown is playing out on the financial side as well.
Prosecutors allege the funds were laundered through trade-based schemes—using U.S. cash drug proceeds deposited into American bank accounts, including those linked to import-export businesses and a Latin American musician—before being transferred to Colombia.
“Drug trafficking and money laundering go hand-in-hand,” U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in a statement. “Cartels need money to poison our American communities. We will eliminate these threats and protect our country.”
Back in Waco, DPS called the Hill County seizure a routine example of what its troopers do daily. “This is just one example of how DPS Troopers and their K-9 partners are keeping dangerous drugs out of Texas communities every day,” the agency said.
