Serving Franklin County, WA
Serving Franklin County, WA
PASCO — A local woman has been sentenced to 108 in prison after pleading guilty to drug-dealing charges.
Amy Lynn Loza, 38, of Pasco, was sentenced after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture of a substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
U.S. District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced her to 108 in prison, followed by five years of probation.
Court records show that in October of 2022, the federal DEA and the Tri-Cities drug task force began tracking several fentanyl dealers, include Loza, who had allegedly purchased several thousand fentanyl-laced pills.
Agents executed search warrants in Richland and Kennewick homes, locating more than 14,000 rainbow-colored fentanyl pills and more than a pound of meth. The search also turned up a loaded firearm, scales, baggies and drug ledgers belonging to Loza, records show.
Loza allegedly admitted to investigators that she had been involved in trafficking fentanyl and had purchased 17,000 pills in the last week, records show.
“Fentanyl has taken too many lives across the United States and right here in our community," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington Vanessa R. Waldref said.
"Every day the Metro Drug Task Force and DEA are working to combat this dangerous poison. Thanks to their efforts in this case, thousands of fentanyl pills have been removed from our streets, making Eastern Washington safer and stronger.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge David F. Reames called rainbow fentanyl a "despicable marketing tool."
“The team effort of DEA, alongside our state and local partners, kept this deadly drug off the streets and held Ms. Loza accountable for her actions,” he said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Stephanie Van Marter and Rebecca Perez prosecuted the case.
Roger Harnack is the co-owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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