Winchester Woman Gets 7 Years for CJNG Cocaine Run

HARRISONBURG, VA – Judith Wright, 38, of Winchester, Virginia, is headed to federal prison for 84 months after being convicted of conspiring to distribute cocaine on behalf of one of the world’s most brutal drug cartels. The sentence was handed down yesterday in U.S. District Court, Harrisonburg, by Judge [editor’s note: judge name not provided in source].

According to United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen, Wright wasn’t just a courier – she was a key player in establishing a CJNG foothold in the Northern Shenandoah Valley. “This defendant partnered with members and associates of the Mexican drug cartel known as CJNG, one of the most violent criminal organizations in the world, to sell cocaine,” Cullen stated. “As this case and other recent indictments indicate, we are committed to dismantling CJNG’s distribution networks in Western Virginia and stanching the flow of these deadly drugs.”

The February 2019 trial revealed a sophisticated operation. Wright transported large shipments of cocaine from California directly into Virginia, effectively acting as a logistical arm for the cartel. Funds from the drug sales were laundered through her personal bank account, all under the direction of CJNG associates. She wasn’t simply moving product; she was actively facilitating the financial backbone of a criminal empire. The cartel, Jalisco Nueva Generacion (CJNG), is considered by the Department of Justice to be among the five most dangerous transnational criminal organizations globally, responsible for immense violence and the flow of tons of narcotics into the United States.

Evidence presented at trial detailed Wright’s methods: a vehicle equipped with a hidden compartment specifically designed to smuggle significant quantities of cocaine. For each trafficking run from California, Wright was paid approximately $2,000 by Blas Rodriguez-Avila, a known CJNG associate. But the operation went beyond transportation. Wright allowed Rodriguez-Avila and another co-conspirator, Oliva Parsons, to use her apartment as a storage and distribution hub. She even provided a lockbox in her bedroom for concealing drugs and scales for weighing out customer portions.

The takedown was a multi-agency effort, involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Northwest Virginia Regional Drug and Gang Task Force (NWVRDGTF), Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erin M. Kulpa led the prosecution. The investigation received funding through the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Program, highlighting the collaborative approach needed to combat large-scale drug trafficking organizations.

The NWVRDGTF, comprised of multiple local and state law enforcement agencies including the Virginia State Police and various county sheriff’s offices, remains dedicated to disrupting narcotics networks throughout the region. This case serves as a stark reminder that even seemingly localized drug operations are often connected to far-reaching and dangerous international criminal organizations like CJNG, and that federal authorities are actively working to dismantle those networks, one arrest – and one lengthy sentence – at a time.

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