Supreme Court Upholds Conviction in Contentious Drug Smuggling Case

Ruling permits expert testimony on general drug courier practices, sparking debate over defendants' mental state in criminal trials.

The 6-3 decision affirms Delilah Guadalupe Diaz's conviction for smuggling methamphetamine across the U.S.-Mexico border.
The majority opinion, written by Justice Clarence Thomas, stated that general testimony about drug couriers did not violate evidence rules.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, in dissent, warned that the ruling grants prosecutors a potent new tool for securing convictions.
Diaz's defense argued the expert testimony improperly suggested she knew about the drugs in her car.
The ruling highlights ongoing legal tensions around the admissibility of expert testimony in federal criminal cases.