Sioux City, Iowa — Two California women have pleaded guilty to federal drug charges in a case with a connection to northwest Iowa.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office tells us 61-year-old Lauretta Payce and 41-year-old Andrea Romo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. During plea hearings, they admitted distributing at least 1.5 kilograms of meth from December 2019 through May of last year. The U.S. Attorney’s office says Payce and Romo also helped six others in the conspiracy by distributing approximately four pounds of meth and one pound of marijuana from California and Nevada. According to authorities, the drugs were in a hidden compartment of a vehicle as it was being driven to Cherokee.
They tell us the women will be sentenced following the completion of a pre-sentence report. Each of them face between ten years and life in prison, a ten-million dollar fine, and a minimum of five years probation following any imprisonment.
Story from Community First Broadcasting sister station KAYL.
