Drug Dealing Plot Stretched from Santa Monica to Wisconsin
A Santa Monica woman was sentenced to eight years in federal prison on August 22 for attempting to possess methamphetamine intended for distribution, according to Timothy M. O’Shea, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. Heather Carter, 50, pleaded guilty to the charge on March 14.
The investigation began in January 2022 when law enforcement officials received information that Carter regularly traveled to California to purchase methamphetamine. She allegedly mailed the drugs back to Wisconsin for distribution.
On September 19, 2022, authorities learned Carter was en route from California to Wisconsin. She stopped at a post office in Washington, Utah, where she mailed a package to her home in Coon Valley, Wisconsin. U.S. Postal Inspectors intercepted the package, which contained cocaine, fentanyl, and 422 grams of methamphetamine. Investigators, who had obtained a search warrant, removed the drugs and later delivered the package to her Wisconsin address, arresting her upon receipt.
Carter was released pending trial but fled to California in December 2022, prompting a federal arrest warrant. In August 2023, a University of California Los Angeles police officer arrested her for a traffic violation and discovered fake identification documents, multiple license plates, and 800 grams of methamphetamine in her SUV.
At her sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson described Carter as a mid-level dealer involved in distributing dangerous substances. He emphasized that Carter returned to criminal behavior immediately after fleeing from pretrial release.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the West Central Metropolitan Enforcement Group, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chadwick M. Elgersma prosecuted the case.
