A 68 year old woman from Los Fresnos now faces a felony charge. Cops say she helped bring drugs to a man in a Texas state jail.
Maria Guadalupe Nelson got arrested Wednesday. She got booked into the county jail. She is charged with giving out an illegal drug. Cops say the amount was one to four grams. That comes from a news release from the Sheriff's Office. In Texas, that charge is a felony. It can mean two to 20 years in prison.
The case shows how far some folks will go for someone locked up. It also shows the county is watching close.
The Sheriff's Office worked with a state jail watchdog group. That group is part of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice. It checks on crimes at Texas jails and prisons. The two sides built the case together. On the day of the arrest, they served a warrant on Nelson. Cops picked her up on Bluejay Circle in Los Fresnos, in the 32000 block.
A local jail crime unit also helped with the case. That unit works inside the Sheriff's Office. The teams say Nelson helped set up the drug drop for the inmate. That is per the news release.
Age stands out here. At 68, Nelson is older than most folks jail staff catch with drugs.
Texas state jails hold folks with shorter terms. Some are locked up for lower level crimes. Family or friends at times try to sneak in drugs, phones, or other banned stuff. Jail staff and state agents work to stop it. They file charges when they catch someone.
The Sheriff's Office says this arrest is part of a bigger push on jail crime. "The Cameron County Sheriff's Office remains committed to working alongside our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to investigate criminal activity and assist in bringing those responsible to justice," the release said.
Nelson stays in the county jail for now. It is not clear if she has a lawyer yet. It is not clear when she goes to court next. El Tejano will keep watching this case.
Everyone is presumed innocent until proved otherwise.
