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An American mother who tried to smuggle cocaine into New Zealand has been incarcerated for almost seven years.
Jamie Hudson Mendez, 44, of Phoenix, Arizona, pleaded guilty in Christchurch District Court in July of importing about 2.5 kilograms of cocaine into New Zealand and possession of cocaine for supply.
Mendez appeared via audiovisual link before Judge Stephen O’Driscoll in Christchurch District Court on Thursday and was sentenced to six years and nine months in jail.
Méndez’s charges carry a maximum penalty of 11 years in prison.
READ MORE:
* ‘Sweet and Wonderful’ Wife and Mom Admit to Tried to Smuggle $ 875k of Cocaine into New Zealand
* An American woman allegedly used padded vests to smuggle cocaine into Christchurch.
* A woman allegedly hid 2.5 kg of drugs in jackets at Christchurch airport.
In September of last year, Mendez flew to New Zealand from Zimbabwe, passing through Ethiopia and Singapore.
He checked a suitcase and carried a backpack as carry-on luggage.
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Jamie Hudson Méndez was arrested at the Christchurch Airport in September 2019 after she tried to smuggle 2.5 kilograms of cocaine into New Zealand.
His suitcase was searched after New Zealand customs officials noticed inconsistencies on the X-ray screen. Inside the suitcase were five padded jackets containing 2.5 kg of cocaine, with a street value of $ 875,000.
Text messages found on Méndez’s phone showed that he was negotiating payment for carrying the drugs (he allegedly demanded $ 15,000), but would never see a penny of the money.
Mendez’s mother, Kathleen Hudson, previously said Stuff that until a few years ago, her daughter had a seemingly normal life.
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Jamie Hudson-Mendez on his wedding day in 1996 with his mother, Kathleen Hudson, on his left and his sisters on his right.
He had an uneventful childhood, married his high school sweetheart, worked as a caregiver, and had a son.
She was married for more than a decade before divorcing in 2012.
This most recent crime was not the first time that Méndez became involved with the dark underground movement of transnational drug trafficking.
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Jamie Hudson Mendez was a wife, mother and caregiver before she became involved in smuggling illegal drugs across borders.
In 2018, she was imprisoned in France when she arrived in Paris on a flight from South Africa with heroin in her luggage.
After spending 13 months in a French prison, she was released on June 17 last year and sent back to the United States.
