Nelly Davila, Importing a Schedule I Controlled Substance, Virginia 2024

Nelly Davila, a 39-year-old U.S. citizen residing in Mexico, was arrested at Washington Dulles International Airport early Saturday morning after customs agents found over seven kilograms of suspected heroin stashed in her suitcase. The drug haul, discovered during a routine inspection, triggered immediate federal charges in one of the largest heroin seizures at the Virginia airport this year.

Davila arrived on a flight from Mexico City on March 9, attempting to re-enter the United States when Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents flagged her luggage for further screening. Inside the suitcase, agents uncovered multiple packages containing a substance that field-tested positive for heroin. The concealment method suggested deliberate effort to evade detection, federal sources said.

The defendant is charged with importing a Schedule I controlled substance, a federal crime carrying a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years. While actual sentences often fall below the maximum, prosecutors emphasize the severity of large-scale drug importation, particularly across international borders.

Davila is scheduled for a preliminary hearing and detention hearing at 2 p.m. today at the federal courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia. Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan will oversee the initial proceeding, where prosecutors will argue for pretrial detention based on flight risk and the seriousness of the charges.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Williamson. Announcing the arrest were Tracy Doherty-McCormick, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Casey Owen Durst, Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office; and Patrick J. Lechleitner, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D.C.

A criminal complaint has been filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia under Case No. 1:18-mj-122. Court documents and related information are available via PACER and the Eastern District’s public docket. Davila is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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