Texas woman had almost a pound of meth, charges by Raleigh police say

A Texas woman was arrested with about a pound of methamphetamine early Friday after members of an interagency drug task force stopped her car on Falls of Neuse Road.

Blanca Yaremi Pineda-Echeverria, 27, who police said lives in Garland, Texas, was charged with trafficking in methamphetamine by possession and by transportation and with conspiring to traffic in the drug.

In written charges, Raleigh police specified only that Pineda-Echeverria had more than 400 grams of meth, which is the threshold for the most serious level of trafficking in the state. Having any larger amount is still a Class C felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 23½ years in prison.

The threshold amount, 400 grams, is equivalent to 0.88 pounds.

According to arrest records, a Raleigh police officer and a Nash County sheriff’s deputy stopped Pineda-Echiverria in the 4500 block of Falls of Neuse Road.

A magistrate set Pineda-Echiverria’s bail at $2 million.

Federal immigration officials filed a detainer notice asking for for a 48-hour warning Pineda-Echeverria is going to be released. The request said the Department of Homeland Security suspects she is in the U.S. from Mexico illegally.

Drug task forces blend law enforcement officers from all levels of government, with federal Drug Enforcement Administration agents coordinating in formation nationally.

This story was originally published August 3, 2018 at 10:52 AM.