Woman Indicted For Possession Of Nearly Sixty-four Pounds Of Liquid Methamphetamine

BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment against VANESSA J. HERNANDEZ, age 34, of Houston, Texas. The indictment charges the defendant with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, a schedule II controlled substance, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1). The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation which requires the defendant to forfeit the proceeds of her crime if convicted.

As alleged in a previous unsealed criminal complaint against the defendant, on September 29, 2014, the defendant was traveling through Baton Rouge on a commercial passenger bus when members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force interdicted the bus. The criminal complaint further alleges that the defendant was traveling with a suitcase filled with thirty-six soda bottles containing liquid methamphetamine weighing approximately sixty-four pounds.

This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana and the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin R. Sanchez.

NOTE: An indictment is an accusation by the Grand Jury. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless adjudicated guilty at trial or through a guilty plea.