HOUSTON (AP) - An airline passenger who says she's a law school student from Mexico has been arrested in a Texas heroin smuggling case.
Federal prosecutors in Houston on Tuesday announced the arrest of 21-year-old Yessica Chanel Cabanillas-Torres, who remains in custody pending a detention hearing. She's charged with possession with intent to distribute and importation of heroin.
Prosecutors say Cabanillas-Torres was arrested after inspectors found nearly 3 pounds of heroin in her luggage last Thursday at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Authorities say the woman was on a United Airlines flight from Quito, Ecuador, and was bound for Newark, N.J., allegedly to visit a boyfriend she met online.
Officials say the heroin was hidden in 1 of her suitcases.
Further details on the suspect were not immediately available.
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