Texas woman had 7 kilos of liquid meth shipped in shampoo bottles from Mexico

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A 45-year-old South Texas woman has pleaded guilty to smuggling liquid meth from Mexico in shampoo bottles, U.S. Attorney Alamdar Hamdani said Tuesday.

Elena Barrera faces up to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine, Hamdani said.

Barrera pleaded guilty in federal court in Corpus Christi to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute liquid meth after she picked up a package of shampoo bottles filled with liquid meth at a post office, Hamdani said.

An investigation into Barrera began in November 2020 after a parcel containing liquid meth was shipped from Mexico to the small town of Mathis, which has a population under 5,000 and is northwest of Corpus Christi. Law enforcement intercepted the package and said it contained 7 kilos of liquid meth concealed in shampoo bottles.

Barrera admitted to using the mail to receive multiple other packages of narcotics and to recruiting others to retrieve packages of narcotics for her, Hamdani said.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at [email protected].