Judge Hands Down 88 Months Prison Sentence To Tifton Woman Caught Hauling Kilos Of Meth, Cocaine On I-75

MACON – A Tifton woman was sentenced to 88 months in prison Wednesday on a drug charge after she was arrested carrying four kilos of meth and cocaine in her car with the intent to distribute the illegal drugs, said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Anna Maria Lopez-Vazquez, 32, of Tifton, GA was sentenced by the Honorable Marc Treadwell in Macon federal court this morning. She had previously entered a guilty plea to one count Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine on February 13, 2019. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

According to her signed plea agreement, on May 18, 2017, Anna Maria Lopez-Vasquez was driving a Yukon SUV southbound on I-75 in Peach County, Georgia. A Peach County deputy on patrol in the area spotted the SUV with an obscured license and failing to maintain its lane of traffic, both traffic infractions in Georgia. During the traffic stop, the deputy smelled a strong odor of marijuana. Following a legal search of the vehicle, 2,942 grams of methamphetamine and 999 grams of cocaine were found in three containers, sealed with plastic wrap, hidden inside a sports bag. Ms. Lopez-Vasquez was arrested. In a post-arrest interview, she admitted that the drugs belonged to her.

“Methamphetamine is killing more and more Georgians,” said Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.  “It is imperative that we get this poison off our streets.  Our office will continue to work with federal, state and local law enforcement to identify, arrest and prosecute those who choose to sell illegal drugs in our communities.  Make no mistake:  if you choose to sell methamphetamine, you will go to federal prison for a long time.  I applaud the good work of the Peach County Sheriff’s Office in this matter.” 

“Routine traffic stops are valuable. In this case, we were able to get 3 kilos of meth and 1 kilo of cocaine out of our communities,” said Sheriff Terry Deese, Peach County Sheriff’s Office. “Ms. Lopez-Vasquez is from a small town in South Georgia, and taking that much dope off the streets will have a big impact on the drug problem in that town. Our deputies are trained to properly and legally identify certain conditions in a traffic stop that might alert them to illegal activities. In this case, our deputies found a massive amount of deadly poison that will no longer be peddled to our children.”

The case is being investigated by The Drug Enforcement Agency and the Peach County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Calhoun is prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.