MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WRBL) — A Texas woman traveling through Alabama was found guilty of possessing six kilograms of heroin, according to the Middle District Attorney’s Office of Alabama. United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart says Melissa Vasquez-Guardado, 25, from Houston, Texas, faces a sentence 10 years to life in federal prison.
According to court records, law enforcement in Butler County, Alabama, stopped a vehicle on Interstate 65 on July 27, 2021. The driver stated she did not have a driver’s license. Officers identified her as Fidelia Barrera-Villanueva, 39, also from Houston, Texas. Vasquez-Guardado was a passenger in the vehicle, along with Barrera-Villanueva’s 15-year-old daughter.
Barrera-Villanueva gave officers permission to search the vehicle. During the search, officers found six cylindrical objects inside the pillowcase. Officials say those were wrapped in black tape and containing 5.9 kilograms of heroin. Barrera-Villanueva previously pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to distribute and could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Stewart states that the jury reached its verdict on March 14. A sentencing hearing for both Vasquez-Guardado and Barrera-Villanueva is scheduled for July 6, 2023.
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