Georgia woman gets decade in prison for smuggling 12 lbs. of meth to Mass. in dog food bag
A Georgia woman has been sentenced to a decade in prison for smuggling 12 pounds of meth to Massachusetts by hiding it in a large dog food bag, the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office announced Tuesday.
In January 2025, 28-year-old Brooke Logan Paniagua pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense in connection with the incident, the U.S. Attorney's office said in a press release.
Paniagua worked for a drug trafficking organization that brings illegal substances into the U.S. from Mexico, the U.S. Attorney's office said. Federal investigators began investigating her in September 2022 after the organization informed a confidential source that a woman would be transporting 12 pounds of meth from Georgia to Massachusetts.
Paniagua called the source to coordinate a meeting time and location at which the source would buy the drugs from her, explaining that the meth was hidden inside a 50-pound bag of dog food, the U.S. Attorney's office said. When she arrived at the location, she notified the source, but she was soon intercepted by police.
Investigators found a large, partially opened back of dog food with five plastic containers filled with 12.3 pounds of 97% pure meth in Paniagua's car, the U.S. Attorney's office said. They also discovered a .22-caliber handgun loaded with eight rounds in her back pocket during a search of her person.
On May 14, a federal judge sentenced Paniagua to 10 years in prison and four years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's office said.
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