Two pounds of meth lead to federal charges

Texarkana Federal Courthouse
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A woman who allegedly had approximately two pounds of meth in a purse when stopped in September near Hope, Arkansas, has been charged with a federal drug crime.

Anita Marie Hughes, 43, was allegedly bringing drugs she picked up in El Paso, Texas, to Memphis, Tennessee, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Texarkana Division of the Western District of Arkansas. Hughes appeared with Assistant Public Defender Alex Wynn for an initial appearance on a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Tuesday.

Hughes is being held in the Miller County jail.

According to the complaint, Hughes drove a rented Jeep SUV to El Paso and picked up seven bundles of methamphetamine which weighed approximately two pounds. The drugs were discovered in a purse in the car’s glove compartment by an Arkansas State Police trooper who pulled the rental car over for a traffic violation on Interstate 30 near Hope.

Hughes and the man driving the car gave differing accounts of their travel to the trooper which led him to request permission to search.

Hughes claimed she and her companion drove together from El Paso while the companion said he drove the rental car from El Paso to Dallas and picked Hughes up there after she rode a bus from El Paso to Dallas. Investigators found evidence which supported the companion’s account.

Hughes allegedly confessed and claimed she was to be paid $2,000 for transporting the methamphetamine.

She faces a minimum of 10 years in federal prison if found guilty.

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