An Atlanta woman has been found guilty of attempting to traffic methamphetamine by a federal jury, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota. Court documents reveal that Vannesa Violante-Lujano was convicted on one count of attempting to possess with the intent to distribute approximately 220 pounds of methamphetamine during an undercover DEA operation in Minnesota.
The drugs originated from a Mexican Cartel and were seized at the U.S.-Mexico border in June 2022. They were en route to Minnesota, a state that, as Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick noted, has become to increasingly become a hub for Cartel-supplied methamphetamines. The DEA launched an operation to decisively intercept the shipment at a Lakeville truck stop. It was there that Violante-Lujano, alongside a co-conspirator, tried to take possession of the drugs, captured on video, which contributed to their arrest by the Minnesota State Patrol.
"In 2022, the Cartel was flooding the border with their poison. In this case, the Cartel sent 220 pounds of deadly methamphetamine—worth $6 million—across the border, bound for Minnesota. I am grateful to the excellent work of law enforcement, who not only seized these drugs, but also utilized an undercover operation to catch the state-side drug dealers," said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.
The evidence presented against Violante-Lujano in the ensuing four-day trial was compelling enough to secure a conviction from the jury. Once the verdict was announced, Violante-Lujano was taken into custody to await sentencing.
