The 37-year-old mother of a Weslaco murder suspect is now in custody in connection with a scheme to smuggle drugs into the Hidalgo County Detention Center, according to a news release.

Emily Cavazos was booked into the Hidalgo County jail Thursday on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity and prohibited substances and items in a correctional or civil commitment facility, jail records show.

According to a news release from the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, Cavazos’ arrest is connected with the arrest of former detention center employee Ronaldo Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was arrested on Tuesday after an investigation revealed he delivered synthetic marijuana, THC cartridges, cocaine and lighters to Cavazos’ son, 18-year-old Mauricio Mata.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Records: Former Hidalgo County detention center employee worked with Weslaco murder suspect to smuggle drugs

Mata has been an inmate at the detention center since September 2024, when he was arrested on a murder charge in connection with the Feb. 11, 2023 shooting death of David Silva.

Mata was 15 years old when the murder happened, according to previous reports.

As previously reported, an inmate reported to investigators that Rodriguez brought the narcotics on Aug. 17, 2025, concealed in a clear bag containing toilet paper rolls. Rodriguez dropped off the narcotics at the holding cells where Mata picked them up.

According to the complaint, recordings from the jail phones had Mata providing Rodriguez’s cell phone number and Cash App information to his girlfriend, “presumably to facilitate payment for the smuggled contraband.”

Surveillance footage from Aug. 17 showed Rodriguez dropping off a clear bag containing toilet paper rolls to the holding cells. Mata was later seen picking up that bag.

Hidalgo County jail records say Rodriguez was released on a $5,000 bond on Tuesday.

Cavazos’ role in the scheme was not provided by authorities. She remains jailed as of Friday on an $80,000 bond.

Jail records show Mata is now also facing the same charges as his mother. His total bond is now $155,000.