Two Houston area women are behind bars in the Rio Grande Valley after they allegedly tried to smuggle $261,000 dollars into Mexico.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested 25-year-old Gabriela Meza and 33-year-old Raquel Silva on Wednesday.
The two woman were headed into Matamoros at Brownsville’s Gateway International Bridge when they were stopped for a southbound inspection.
Customs officers allegedly found duct tape bundles with $261,000 hidden inside the driver and front passenger seats of Meza’s 2002 Chevrolet Tahoe.
Meza, who was driving, told investigators that she was supposed to get paid $2,000 dollars to deliver the cash. Silva was supposed to get paid $300 dollars.
The two women appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald Morgan in Brownsville on Thursday morning.
Investigators told Action 4 News that both woman are United States citizens. Meza is from Galveston while Silva is from Pasadena.
Judge Morgan denied bond for both of them until a Monday afternoon hearing.
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