Woman pleads guilty to receiving more than 10 pounds of weed in mail
WILLMAR -- A 19-year-old Willmar woman pleaded guilty Thursday to a fifth-degree drug possession charge for her role in receiving more than 10 pounds of marijuana in the mail in September.
As part of a plea agreement entered in Kandiyohi County District Court, a fifth-degree drug sale charge against Vanessa Marie Garza will be dismissed and she will receive a stay of adjudication on her sentence. Under a stay of adjudication, no conviction will appear on her record. She will be sentenced Nov. 23.
Garza and Ana Patricia Gutierrez, 27, were charged after a CEE-VI Drug Task Force agent received information on Sept. 23 from a U.S. Postal Service inspector that two suspicious packages, addressed to two Willmar residences, were suspected of containing slightly more than 10 pounds of marijuana.
Gutierrez' next court appearance is Nov. 5.
The postal inspector delivered the first package to a home where Gutierrez signed for one and put it into a vehicle in the driveway. Later, she and Garza drove and were stopped by the Willmar police. A search of Gutierrez's purse revealed receipts for money orders for $450 and $700 and a slip of paper containing the Express Mail tracking numbers for the packages. The second package was also delivered to another address.
Search warrants were served on both homes. At the second address, a woman said that Garza had called about receiving the package, which was located in a bedroom. At the first address, officers located another money order receipt for $250. Both women were arrested.
