Maine woman caught with 18.5 pounds of meth in Lancaster County is sentenced

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – A Maine woman went on a cross-country trip, and all she got was a prison sentence in Nebraska.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said 36-year-old Arica Downs was sentenced Tuesday in Lincoln for possession of meth with intent to distribute.

U.S. District Judge John M. Gerrard ordered Downs to spend three years and five months behind bars.

On March 9, 2022, Downs and Judith Ann Deandrade were heading east on Interstate 80 in a rental car when they were pulled over by a Lancaster County deputy.

The attorney’s office said a dog smelled drugs, and authorities searched the car.

Inside, authorities found syringes, a half-ounce of fentanyl and 18.5 pounds of meth.

Later on, investigators discovered that Deandrade had arranged the trip from Boston to Las Vegas to pick up the meth.

In return for her company on the trip, Deandrade offered Downs a pound of meth, according to the attorney’s office.

After her release from prison, Downs will serve a four-year term of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Deandrade died in custody on April 21, 2022, while the case was pending.