8 hours ago
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She was sniffed out by the feds.
A Mexican woman responsible for testing the quality of cocaine being trafficked by a drug cartel has been extradited to the United States and charged by federal prosecutors, the Justice Department said.
Irma Elvira Cruz, known as "Huzipol" and "Madre," 60, was indicted earlier this month on federal charges of conspiracy to unlawfully import cocaine into the United States and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
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A member of the Mexican federal police tests a packet of cocaine seized by the army. A woman has been charged in the United States with being a quality control tester for an unnamed drug cartel. (Reuters/Henry Romero)
"Cruz allegedly played a critical role in the trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the United States," said acting U.S. Attorney Richard Moultrie, Jr. "Cruz’s extradition from Mexico is an important step in holding her accountable for her alleged role in bringing dangerous drugs into the United States and into our local communities."
Cruz was an associate of an unnamed drug trafficking organization in Mexico and was allegedly responsible for the quality control testing of cocaine transported from Colombia to Costa Rica and Mexico, with the intent of being smuggled into the U.S., authorities said.
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More than 1,930 packages of cocaine seized at the southern border weighed 1,532 pounds, according to border officials. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
She allegedly conspired with others in Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala and elsewhere to coordinate the transportation of cocaine from Colombia for distribution in Mexico and the United States, including Atlanta.
Cruz was specifically responsible for testing cocaine destined for Atlanta, federal prosecutors said.
On Sept. 3, 2015, she traveled to Heredia, Asuncion, Costa Rica, to allegedly test the purity of the cocaine to be smuggled into the United States. The next day, authorities stopped vehicles being driven by Cruz's associates leaving a stash house.
A Customs and Border Patrol agent patrolling on the U.S. side of a razor-wire border wall along the southern border east of Nogales, Ariz. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
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They seized 100 kilograms of cocaine from the vehicles and another 221 kilograms from the stash house, authorities said.
