Three women accused of smuggling more than 110 pounds of methamphetamine through Indianapolis International Airport, now face federal charges.
The Drug Enforcement Administration said Latasha Weatherspoon, Marlene Richardson and Christina Enriquez stuffed the methamphetamine in vacuum sealed bags in their luggage and flew in from Los Angeles.
It happened nearly a week before Christmas.
Investigators said the women rented a car and were headed to Louisville, Kentucky when law enforcement pulled them over during a traffic stop.
Federal documents state Delta Air Line passenger flight records showed Weatherspoon has transported drugs through Indy's airport at least seven times between June of 2023 and November of 2023.
Documents state, the DEA was tipped off from a confidential source that Weatherspoon was transporting bulk quantities of fentanyl and methamphetamine by commercial airline from LA to Indianapolis.
She's also accused of recruiting people who are responsible for physically carrying the fentanyl and/or methampphetamine in their checked luggage while Weatherspoon travels with them or on another flight.
Documents also allege that the women transporting the drugs would be paid anywhere from $1,000 to $2,000 a trip.
The DEA calls it a brazen act.
"It's a significant seizure that we have. In this investigation, we are looking at over a 100 pounds of meth that was being brought through our airlines from LAX to IND and as a result we were able to gather that information and identify who part of this drug trafficking ring was and establish surveillance in early morning hours a week before Christmas as they were coming in with that load," said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Michael Gannon.
The women rented a car from the airport around 7:54 a.m. and were traveling on US 40 and Bridgeport Rd. Indiana State Police pulled them over after the driver rolled through a stop sign.
A K-9 detected a positive identification to the presence of the odor of controlled substances. Inside, troopers found four suitcases with large vacuum sealed bags containing clothing wrapped around them and 112 pounds of methamphetamine.
"We are out there each and every day working with our state, local and federal partners to make our community a safer place. Methamphetamine is such a destructive and addictive drug. It's such a huge win to get that drug off our street and it was going to our fellow state, Kentucky. We are very happy to get that off the street because you are talking thousands of dosage units on the streets and we are talking hundreds of thousands of dollars in proceeds they would've been able to get off this drug," said Gannon.
The federal case was filed last week. The ringleader faces up to life in prison.
