When Border Patrol agents stopped a 32-year-old Donna woman at the Falfurrias checkpoint on Thursday morning, she nervously jammed a doughnut in her mouth, according to federal court records.

At 12:44 a.m. Thursday, a white Ford Expedition stopped at the checkpoint. Two Border Patrol agents and a K-9 approached the Expedition.

“How are you doing, Ma’am?” asked an agent, according to federal court records.

The driver — 32-year-old Ludivina Lee Becerra of Donna — nodded nervously, attempting to cram a doughnut in her mouth.

After the awkward greeting, the encounter quickly deteriorated, according to the federal criminal complaint against Becerra.

The K-9 alerted, prompting a secondary inspection.

Agents thought her spare tire seemed strangely rigid, so they sliced it open, according to the criminal complaint. They found 17 kilograms of cocaine packed inside the spare tire.

“Becerra stated that she had knowledge of the narcotics concealed in the spare tire,” according to the criminal complaint. “Becerra stated this was her second time smuggling narcotics through the checkpoint.”

During the interview, Becerra told federal agents her husband worked with a man nicknamed “El Chimpas” to smuggle narcotics, according to the criminal complaint. Becerra said she planned to drive the cocaine to Dallas, where she would be paid $1,000 per bundle.

Federal agents charged Becerra with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.

Magistrate Judge Jason B. Libby scheduled a detention hearing for Jan. 13.