A Houston woman has been ordered to federal prison for possessing and distributing numerous illegal drugs between Houston and Rockport, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Texas.
45-year-old Cheri Ann Palmer pleaded guilty on Sept. 26, 2024.
U.S. District Judge David Morales has ordered Palmer to serve 20 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, with an additional 5 years for possession of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. The full 25-year sentence will immediately be followed by a 3-year-term of supervised release.
“The Southern District of Texas does not tolerate drug traffickers,” U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei stated in the release. “Drugs, especially methamphetamine and fentanyl, destroy lives and damage communities. Our Corpus Christi office did great work taking this dealer off the streets.”
On Oct. 2, 2023, law enforcement responded to a disturbance at a local motel and encountered Palmer with a backpack that contained 388.1 grams of methamphetamine, 3.1 grams of heroin and a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol. After searching her motel room, they also discovered an additional 249.9 grams of methamphetamine and 28.45 grams of fentanyl in a box. Palmer admitted that the fentanyl and methamphetamine had been smuggled in from Mexico.
The investigation then led to Houston, where Palmer had been dealing drugs in that area for several years. Law enforcement then witnessed Palmer loading backpacks and containers into a GMC Denali.
A traffic stop and search led to the discovery of 590.76 grams of methamphetamine, 81.5 grams of fentanyl analogue, 71.85 grams of heroin mixed with fentanyl, 442 grams of marijuana and 10 grams of cocaine. Law enforcement also found 1,679 assorted blue, pink and white pills marked M30. These were intended to replicate Oxycodone pills, but the pills actually contained fentanyl mixed with traces of methamphetamine, heroin, Xylazine, acetaminophen, benzocaine, caffeine, lidocaine and quinine.
Palmer will remain in custody pending a future transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
Catch all the KRIS 6 News stories and more on our YouTube page. Subscribe today!
