An Indiana woman has been sentenced to six years imprisonment for armed trafficking of fentanyl and methamphetamine.
Richmond resident Amber Bailey, 41, was previously found guilty of charges of possessing a controlled narcotic with the purpose of distribution, according to a Feb. 23 news release. For her actions, she has been sentenced to six years in a federal prison.
“The increase in fentanyl overdoses in our neighborhoods is a crisis — drug poisonings are now the leading cause of death for Americans 18-45 years old. The defendant had a direct hand in pushing this poison into our community,” U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana Zachary A. Myers said in the release. “Armed fentanyl traffickers are a top priority of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. With our federal, state and local partners, we are committed to dismantling these operations and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”
The FBI launched an investigation into Bailey in September 2020 when she distributed 25 grams of a fentanyl mixture and 9 grams of methamphetamine to an individual and later helped an accomplice distribute 4 grams of methamphetamine and 6 grams of a fentanyl mixture to the same individual, the release reported.
During a Nov. 5, 2020, search of Bailey's residence, investigators uncovered 6 grams of a fentanyl mixture, a 9mm handgun, ammunition and lactose, a known cutting agent for dilution of controlled substances, the news release said.
“Fentanyl has become a serious and life-threatening problem in Indiana,” Special Agent in Charge for the FBI’s Indianapolis Office Herbert J. Stapleton said in the release. “The FBI will join with all our federal, state and local partners as often as possible to stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities.”
