CHICAGO WOMAN SENTENCED ON COCAINE CHARGES
DES MOINES- On July 17, 2009, Helena Durham, age 70, of Chicago, IL, was sentenced to forty-six months imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute cocaine, announced United States Attorney Matthew G. Whitaker. In addition, the Honorable United States District Court Chief Judge, Robert W. Pratt sentenced Ms. Durham to three years of supervised release after her incarceration, and ordered her to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim Fund.
A one count indictment was filed against Ms. Durham on July 16, 2008, charging her with possession with intent to distribute at least five kilograms of cocaine. On March 27, 2009, Ms. Durham pleaded guilty to this charge admitting to the Court that on July 1, 2008, she transported twelve kilograms of cocaine, concealed in laundry detergent boxes, for distribution purposes.
This case was prosecuted in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa. This investigation was conducted jointly by the Iowa State Patrol, the State of Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, the Drug Enforcement Agency, Council Bluffs Police Department, and the Pottawattamie County Attorney’s Office.