A Champaign woman faces a possible life behind bars after a jury found her guilty of meth conspiracy, it emerged this week. Malaia A. Turner, 35, was convicted by a federal jury on May 3, 2024, for her role in a drug ring peddling large amounts of meth in the state of Illinois.

The trial, which spanned over four grueling days, featured government evidence depicting Turner at the center of a network trafficking methamphetamine from California to several Illinois counties. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Turner and her accomplices made a considerable profit through this illicit drug trade.

Turner, who hails from the 2600th block of West Springfield Avenue, has been in federal custody since her arrest in August 2022. The serious nature of the crime leaves her facing a minimum of ten years to a maximum of life in prison. The sentencing is slated for late September this year at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana.

In addition to incarceration, the defendant could be hit with up to $10 million in fines and will have to submit to a minimum of five years of supervised release post-custody. The case against Turner was a coordinated effort by the FBI, state police, and postal inspectors, highlighting the government’s intensified crackdown on drug trafficking.

This prosecution is part of a wider crackdown by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. This initiative targets top-tier drug criminals by combining intelligence and resources from various law enforcement bodies—a fact underscored by the broad range of agencies contributing to Turner’s conviction.