Champaign Woman Convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

URBANA, Ill. - A federal jury returned a guilty verdict on May 3, 2024, against Malaia A. Turner, 35, of the 2600th block of West Springfield Avenue, Champaign, Illinois, for conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine. Sentencing for Turner has been scheduled on September 23, 2024, at 1:30 p.m. at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana, Illinois.

Over four days of testimony, the government presented evidence to establish that Turner had conspired with several others to obtain large quantities of methamphetamine ice from suppliers in Illinois and California and transport those drugs to the Central District of Illinois. Members of the conspiracy, including Turner, then distributed the methamphetamine ice they had obtained to others for a profit in Illinois, including to customers in Champaign, Coles, and Edgar Counties.

Turner has been in the custody of the United States Marshal Service since her arrest in August 2022. At sentencing, Turner faces statutory penalties of ten years imprisonment up to life imprisonment, a fine not to exceed $10 million, and not less than a five-year term of supervised release upon her release from custody.

The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office, Illinois State Police's East Central Illinois Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorneys Rachel E. Ritzer and Timothy J. Sullivan represented the government at trial.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor- led, intelligence driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.