An Arlington woman has been handed a 14-year sentence for her part in a failed meth smuggling attempt. Linnette Rodriguez-Potter, 46, was sentenced in Del Rio to 168 months in federal prison after entering a guilty plea for conspiring to import methamphetamine into the U.S., as per the Department of Justice. Court documents revealed that Rodriguez-Potter was caught at the Del Rio Port of Entry on July 25, 2020, where Customs and Border Protection Officers found seven packages containing high-purity methamphetamine hydrochloride weighing 3.422 kilograms.
Further investigation into the case uncovered incriminating communications on Rodriguez-Potter's cell phone. Instructions from co-conspirator Sally Renae Smith directed her to deliver the packages to a motel in Del Rio. Smith, along with the other defendants, intended for the drugs to be distributed throughout Texas. Sally Renae Smith has already been sentenced this year to more than 24 years in prison. Moreover, another accomplice, Joshua Keith Stewart, received just shy of 20 years in prison in October. Stetson Lee Spearman, the fourth conspirator, is still in federal custody awaiting a sentencing hearing on March 12, 2025.
The announcement of the sentencing was made by U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas. The case against Rodriguez-Potter and her co-conspirators was built following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Rex Beasley led the prosecution of this case.
While Smith and Stewart are already serving their lengthy sentences, Rodriguez-Potter will now join them, contributing to the concerted efforts of federal agencies to dismantle drug trafficking operations. The sentencing of Spearman next year could conclude this chapter of a stern crackdown on meth distribution networks operating across state borders.
