Two women from Las Vegas are being held in Miami-Dade after investigators accused them of helping ship nearly five pounds of methamphetamine across the country. The alleged pipeline relied on USPS packages, undercover purchases and electronic payments rather than a single dramatic bust. Both women were arrested Thursday as the yearlong investigation moved into its latest phase.
According to Local 10 News, Maguadalupe Barajas Sandoval, 66, and Cynthia Leslie Hurtado, 35, were arrested by the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office. Investigators from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service participated in the case. Authorities began examining the alleged operation in July 2025 after receiving information about multi-pound meth shipments moving from Las Vegas to the Miami area.
The investigation came to a head in June, when authorities intercepted two USPS Priority Mail Express packages addressed to undercover agents in Miami. One package reportedly contained about 1,425 grams of suspected methamphetamine, or roughly three pounds, while the other held about 955 grams, or close to two pounds. Investigators said multiple earlier shipments also tested positive for methamphetamine.
The alleged transactions extended beyond the mailroom. Undercover agents arranged several drug purchases, sent payments through Zelle accounts tied to people in the alleged organization and communicated with Sandoval, Hurtado and other suspects about shipments and payment arrangements.
A Separate Vegas-to-Florida Drug Case Drew Federal Attention
The arrests come as law enforcement agencies continue focusing on drug networks that use ordinary shipping channels to move narcotics between Nevada and South Florida. In a separate case announced in May, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida charged a Las Vegas man and a Chinese national in an alleged protonitazene-importation scheme. Prosecutors said an associate in Miami-Dade used pill presses to make counterfeit pills, while the alleged network also used the Postal Service to move drugs between Florida and Nevada.
High Bonds And Serious State Charges
Sandoval faces five counts each of controlled-substance importation into Florida, trafficking more than 200 grams of amphetamine and unlawful use of a communications device, according to Local 10 News. Hurtado faces four counts each of the same charges. As of Friday, Sandoval was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a $1.025 million bond, while Hurtado's bond was set at $820,000.
The charges are allegations, and a criminal complaint or arrest report is not a finding of guilt. The investigation could lead to additional arrests or charges as authorities continue examining the alleged organization and its other members.
