Two women involved in the distribution of methamphetamine at San Diego county jails were sentenced Tuesday to federal prison terms.
Marquella Marshall, 41, of Houston, Texas, and Marsha Delacruz, 47, of Lemon Grove, sent meth to Southern California jails and prisons in concealed packages, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors also described Marshall, who previously lived in San Diego, as a “facilitator” and “secretary” for the Mexican Mafia, a key role that involved selling drugs, collecting and laundering money, and communicating to subordinates on behalf of Mexican Mafia leadership.
Marshall was sentenced Tuesday to 15 years in prison, while Delacruz, who worked under Marshall’s direction, was sentenced to four years.
San Diego U.S. Attorney U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement, “Drug smuggling and use in prisons result in overdose, violence, and power struggles. These significant sentences are a strike against the prison drug culture which puts guards and staff at risk and exists in large part because of dangerous gangs like the Mexican Mafia.”