Duo Sentenced to 17 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Meth Concealed in Cheetos Bags

EVANSVILLE- Goldie Flenor, 37, and Natasha Gardner, 47, both of Los Angeles, California, have each been sentenced to 17 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on March 5, 2025, Evansville Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force and the DEA Evansville Resident Office were notified by UPS about a suspicious, damaged package en route from West Chester, Ohio. In accordance with company policy, UPS employees opened the package and discovered five Cheetos bags containing 20.97 pounds of plastic-wrapped, vacuum-sealed bags of crystal methamphetamine.

A second suspicious package addressed to the same Evansville residence was located shortly afterward. It also contained five Cheetos bags filled with approximately 19.5 pounds of vacuum-sealed crystal methamphetamine.

Law enforcement officers took control of both packages and delivered them to their intended address. Investigators observed Gardner and Flenor arrive in a white van, retrieve the packages, and drive away heading west. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the pair refused to comply, swerving and nearly striking a marked police vehicle. They fled at a high rate of speed before crashing head-on into a fully marked Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office patrol car.

Both Flenor and Gardner exited the van and attempted to flee on foot but were quickly apprehended by law enforcement.

"The defendants brazenly disguised 40 pounds of meth in Cheetos bags and used a commercial delivery company to transport it for them," said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "Their scheme failed, these drugs were interdicted, and they will spend years in federal prison. We will continue to work with our partners to dismantle trafficking operations that attempt to poison our communities with devastating drugs like meth, no matter how they are disguised."

"This investigation highlights the innovative and unique methods Drug Trafficking Organizations use to import drugs into our communities. DEA along with our state and local counterparts are equally innovative in our steadfast approach to bringing those responsible for flooding our communities with these drugs to justice," said Gerald C. Dooley, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Indianapolis District Office.

The DEA Evansville Resident Office, Evansville Police Department, Evansville Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force, and Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office investigated this case. The sentences were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Richard L. Young.

U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Wheatley, who prosecuted this case.

###