A 50-year-old California woman was sentenced to federal prison for traveling from Wisconsin to California to buy methamphetamine and then mailing the drugs back to Wisconsin for distribution.
According to the statement, U.S. District Judge James Peterson sentenced Heather Carter, 50, of Santa Monica, California, to eight years in federal prison on August 22, 2024.
In January 2022, law enforcement authorities learned that Carter frequently flew to California to obtain methamphetamine and then mailed the contraband back to Wisconsin for distribution.
On September 19, 2022, law enforcement discovered Carter was driving from California to Wisconsin. Carter stopped at a post office in Washington, Utah, before heading to Wisconsin.
An inspector from the United States Postal Inspection Service found the item Carter had mailed from Utah to her home in Coon Valley, Wisconsin.
Investigators secured a search order for the package and discovered it included cocaine, fentanyl, and 422 grams of methamphetamine.
On September 23, 2022, detectives removed the controlled narcotics and sent the package to Carter’s Coon Valley residence. Carter was arrested after she took custody of the package.
Carter fled to California in December 2022, while on federal pretrial release, prompting the issuance of a federal arrest order. In August 2023, a University of Los Angeles Police Department officer pulled Carter over for a traffic violation and arrested her on a federal warrant.
While investigating her SUV, authorities discovered phony identification documents, multiple license plates from different states, and around 800 grams of methamphetamine.
During Carter’s sentencing, Judge Peterson described her as a mid-level dealer who peddled a deadly combination of drugs. Carter, according to Judge Peterson, promptly returned to illegal activity after fleeing the scene.
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 all conducted investigations that led to Carter’s charge.
