Danielle Dessaray Estrada, Meth Mule, West Virginia 2016

A Los Angeles woman has been caught transporting a load of crystal methamphetamine from California to West Virginia and has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge. Danielle Dessaray Estrada, 21, entered her guilty plea to interstate travel in furtherance of a drug crime.

Estrada admitted to picking up approximately five pounds of crystal methamphetamine in California in March 2016. With the help of some of her codefendants, she repackaged the methamphetamine and concealed the drugs in the back seat of her car. Estrada further admitted that she and one of her codefendants drove from California to West Virginia, where they were stopped by officers in South Charleston on March 26, 2016. Law enforcement discovered the drugs during the traffic stop.

Estrada had previously driven to Charleston in December 2015 to deliver drugs. The investigation revealed a multi-agency effort led to an eight-count indictment implicating 14 defendants, including Estrada. Her codefendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

The FBI, DHS Homeland Security Investigations, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Charleston Police Department, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jenny Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr.

This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of illegal drugs, including methamphetamine. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of illegal drugs in communities across the Southern District.

Estrada faces up to five years in federal prison when she is sentenced on October 6, 2016.

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