A U.S. District Judge recently imposed a sentence on a woman from Florida. She entered a guilty plea in a federal drug trafficking case. Four other Floridians were also indicted, all pleading guilty to the same charge.
The woman’s sentence, imposed by the judge, was four years in prison for conspiring to act as a courier, moving drugs from Florida to another state. Two of the other people involved in the case stated that they earned as much as $500 for each trip they made on the alleged drug trafficking route. One of the two is scheduled for sentencing in early September 2015.
Some charges in the case were ultimately dismissed in exchange for the guilty pleas entered by the defendants. However, a federal grand jury still indicted each of the persons involved for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, traveling interstate for purposes of racketeering, and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Authorities reportedly arrested three of those indicted when they were pulled over for a traffic top. Police claim to have seized several kilos of cocaine during that incident.
Two of the female travelers had been driving in one car, the male in the other. Police became suspicious when they realized that both vehicles were registered to the man. Being accused of federal drug trafficking in Florida or elsewhere is a serious situation that can have severe consequences under conviction. Typically, those charged with such crimes would most likely want to seek legal counsel by consulting with a criminal lawyer who has experienced in drug trafficking cases.
Source: miamiherald.com, “Florida woman sentenced for served as drug courier“, Aug. 12, 2015