Marfa woman charged in marijuana seizure at Presidio port

PRESIDIO, MARFA – A Marfa woman faces felony narcotics charges after she allegedly attempted to smuggle 157 pounds of marijuana from Mexico into Texas.

Julieta Lizbeth Marquez-Rios was apprehended at the Presidio Port of Entry at about 4:30pm Sunday, June 24, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. Magistrate Court in Alpine.

Marquez-Rios was seeking re-entry into the United States from Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, along with her three-year-old son, when Customs and Border Protection agents referred her vehicle to secondary inspection.

“During the inspection, the officer noticed Marquez was avoiding eye contact with him as he was asking her questions regarding her trip to Mexico,” the complaint stated. After exiting the vehicle at the request of agents, a canine unit alerted to the odor of narcotics from Marquez-Rios’ vehicle. An inspection of the driver’s side bed area of the Chevrolet Avalanche “revealed a leafy green substance.”

Agents found 157 red taped-bundles, the contents of which field-tested positive for the properties of marijuana.

After being read her Miranda rights, Marquez-Rios spoke to investigators without an attorney. The affidavit states that she “stated she was recruited by a male in Chihuahua, Mexico to transport marijuana from Ojinaga to Denver, Colorado” and was to have been paid $9,000 for the successful transportation of the illegal narcotic.

Assistant U.S Attorney Sandy Stewart, after being advised of the facts of the case, authorized federal prosecution of Marquez-Rios on charges of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, importation of marijuana, and aiding and abetting.