(WFRV) – A 50-year-old California woman was sentenced to federal prison after she traveled from Wisconsin to California to purchase methamphetamine, where she then mailed the drugs back to Wisconsin for distribution.
According to a release, U.S. District Judge James Peterson sentenced Heather Carter, 50, of Santa Monica, California, to eight years in federal prison on Aug. 22, 2024.
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In January 2022, law enforcement officers received information that Carter regularly traveled to California to purchase methamphetamine and mailed the drugs back to Wisconsin for distribution.
On Sept. 19, 2022, law enforcement learned that Carter was driving from California to Wisconsin. During her trip, Carter stopped at a post office in Washington, Utah, before continuing toward Wisconsin.
An inspector with the United States Postal Inspection Service located the package that Carter had mailed from Utah, which was addressed to her residence in Coon Valley, Wisconsin.
Investigators obtained a search warrant for the package and found that it contained cocaine, fentanyl, and 422 grams of methamphetamine.
On Sept. 23, 2022, investigators removed the controlled substances and delivered the package to Carter at her Coon Valley address. Investigators arrested Carter after she took custody of the package.
In December 2022, while on federal pretrial release, Carter fled to California, and a federal warrant was issued for her arrest. In August 2023, an officer from the University of Los Angeles Police Department stopped Carter for a traffic violation and arrested her on a federal warrant.
While searching her SUV, authorities found fake identification documents, multiple license plates from various states, and around 800 grams of methamphetamine.
During Carter’s sentencing, Judge Peterson explained that she was a mid-level dealer who sold a dangerous mix of drugs. Judge Peterson noted that Carter immediately returned to criminality when she absconded.
The charge against Carter was the result of an investigation conducted by the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, West Central Metropolitan Enforcement Group, Vernon County Sheriff’s Office, Coon Valley Police Department, Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, UCLA Police Department, United States Marshals Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
