Richland, Washington- Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Amy Lynn Loza, age 38, of Pasco, Washington 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. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 108 months imprisonment to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.
According to court documents, in October of 2022, the Tri-Cities Metro Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began investigating several fentanyl traffickers operating in the Tri Cities. Investigators developed information that Loza had recently purchased several thousand fentanyl laced pills.
Agents obtained search warrants for two locations used by Loza – a home in Richland and the bedroom of a home in Kennewick. During those searches, agents located more than 14,000 rainbow- colored fentanyl pills and well as more than a pound of meth. Agents also located scales, baggies, and drug ledgers belonging to Loza. A loaded firearm was also found at the home in Richland.
When contact was made, Loza admitted to investigators that she had been involved in trafficking fentanyl and had purchased 17,000 pills in the last week.
U.S. Attorney Waldref stated, “Fentanyl has taken too many lives across the United States and right here in our community. 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.”
“Rainbow fentanyl is a despicable marketing tool used by traffickers to hide the deadly nature of fentanyl, which could have resulted in over 10,000 deaths in this case,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “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.” According to the DEA laboratory, seven in 10 fake pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl www.DEA.gov/OnePill.