ALBUQUERQUE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.
ALBUQUERQUE – A Texas woman is facing federal charges after U.S. Border Patrol agents seized more than 20 pounds of cocaine from her vehicle during a checkpoint inspection south of Alamogordo, New Mexico.
According to court documents, on the afternoon of June 16, 2025, U.S. Border Patrol agents encountered Aurelia Madrid-Marquez, 51, at the Highway 54 checkpoint located South of Alamogordo, New Mexico, driving a minivan with Illinois license plates. During routine questioning, agents conducted a canine inspection of the vehicle, which resulted in a positive alert for narcotics. A subsequent search revealed seven vacuum-sealed bundles containing a white powdery substance concealed in the driver-side floorboard area. Field tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine.
Madrid-Marquez is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and will remain in third party custody pending trial, which has not yet been scheduled. If convicted of the current charges, Madrid-Marquez faces up to 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Omar Arellano, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division, and Chief Patrol Agent Walter N. Slosar of the U.S. Border Patrol El Paso Sector made the announcement today.
The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated this case with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Devon Aragon Martinez is prosecuting the case.
A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
