EAGLE PASS, Texas — The daughter of a Mexican politician has been connected to an ongoing investigation into a failed drug smuggling attempt in this border city.

Over the weekend, officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized a load of methamphetamine that had been hidden in the floor of a 2013 Ford Escape, court records obtained by Breitbart Texas revealed.

Inside the vehicle, authorities found 18 packages that had weighed approximately 28 pounds and an estimated value of more than $500,000, information released by CBP revealed. The driver of the vehicle, a 26-year-old woman from Monclova, Coahuila was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further probing into the case and eventual prosecution.

Court records revealed that on Monday, the suspect Lucia Manaby Villarreal, went before U.S. Magistrate Judge Victor Roberto Garcia who formally charged her with one count of smuggling a controlled substance. Villarreal was set to be paid roughly $3,800 for delivering the drugs in Texas. Judge Garcia ordered that Villarreal be held without bond pending further proceedings.

According to information published by Mexico’s Vanguardia, the owner of the SUV seized in the smuggling attempt belongs to Alejandra Saldivar, the daughter of local congressman Ricardo Saldivar. Mexico’s El Tiempo reported that Alejandra Saldivar had lent the SUV to Villarreal so she could go shopping in San Antonio. Both Mexican news outlets reported that contact for comment with Alejandra Saldivar had not been established.

Roberto Saldivar is currently a local congressman in Coahuila, representing the city of Monclova. Politically-connected individuals in Coahuila have confirmed to Breitbart Texas that Saldivar is a close associate of current Governor Ruben Moreira and his brother, former Governor Humberto Moreira. Political insiders pointed to Saldivar preparing a run to be the next mayor of Monclova.

As Breitbart Texas previously reported, the Moreira brothers have been tied to the Los Zetas drug cartel. In years past, the criminal organization used Coahuila as a safe haven and allegedly received government protection in exchange for bribes to officials on all levels.

Monclova Smuggling

Editor’s Note: Breitbart Texas traveled to the Mexican States of Tamaulipas, Coahuila and Nuevo León to recruit citizen journalists willing to risk their lives and expose the cartels silencing their communities. The writers would face certain death at the hands of the various cartels that operate in those areas including the Gulf Cartel and Los Zetas if a pseudonym were not used. Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles are published in both English and in their original Spanish. This article was written by Coahuila’s “J.M. Martinez” and Tony Aranda from Monterrey, Nuevo León.