An Oregon man who concocted a scheme with his girlfriend to smuggle cocaine through the San Ysidro Port of Entry, then claimed she was tricked into smuggling the drugs, pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges.
Sergio Maximiliano Martinez, 21, of Portland, took part in fabricating a series of social media messages that suggested Victoria Carmona, 25, drove across the border with drugs that were planted in her car, according to prosecutors.
In the messages, Martinez posed as a person hiring Carmona to pick up cash in the United States, then transport it to Mexico. If Carmona was arrested, the messages were designed to make it appear that she didn’t know she was driving a car loaded with drugs.
Carmona was arrested last year after more than 40 pounds of cocaine was discovered in her vehicle, prosecutors said. She shared Facebook Messenger conversations with investigators to support that she’d been tricked into bringing the drugs across, though prosecutors say those messages were faked by Carmona and Martinez.
Additionally, prosecutors say Martinez assisted Carmona in smuggling drugs across the border on seven different occasions and each time faked similar messages to provide Carmona with a cover story in case she was caught.
Martinez and Carmona both pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and obstruction of justice charges and are awaiting sentencing.