Julie M. Drake, SNAP Benefit Trafficking, Nevada 2023

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In a shocking turn of events, Nevada’s Julie M. Drake faced federal justice for her sinister plot to trade Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for methamphetamine or cash.

The 48-year-old was slammed with a nine-year sentence in federal prison by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool, ending her criminal enterprise that stretched from Aug. 30 to Oct. 14, 2015, across Bates and Vernon Counties.

Drake’s guilty plea on Jan. 30, 2017, revealed her cunning scheme: She accepted SNAP benefits, or ‘food stamps,’ in exchange for the illegal drug. Her deceitful tactics didn’t stop there; she used EBT cards and PINs belonging to unsuspecting individuals to purchase her own food.

Vernon County Sheriff’s Department’s October 2015 raid at Drake’s residence turned up a stash of 100 grams of methamphetamine, packaged for distribution, along with $4,720. The evidence mounted as investigators linked Drake to Walmart transactions using the stolen EBT cards.

Interviews with recipients exposed the grim reality behind the scheme. One admitted trading his benefits for meth, while another confessed selling them for half their value in cash directly from Drake. Her operation was a chilling testament to the depths of addiction and exploitation.

This case is a stark reminder of the relentless efforts by law enforcement against organized crime. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nhan D. Nguyen and Patrick Carney prosecuted the case, with investigative support from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General, and the Vernon County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.