ROSEAU COUNTY, MN (trfnews.i234.me) – A Winnipeg, Manitoba, woman pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree drug possession on Monday, June 17, and was granted a stayed 48-month sentence.
Krystle De Leon, 39, was initially charged with first-degree sale of at least 17 grams of cocaine within a 90-day period and first-degree possession of at least 50 grams of cocaine. Under a plea agreement, the first charge was amended, and the second was dismissed during an omnibus hearing.
De Leon was stopped by U.S. customs officers on March 31 at the Warroad, Minnesota, port of entry. Her passenger, Sarah Sophia Rose, was also implicated. A federal alert had previously flagged De Leon for suspicious travel and possible drug smuggling. Upon secondary inspection, customs officers found a large brick of suspected cocaine weighing 287.9 grams and a dime bag in Rose’s wallet.
De Leon and Rose admitted the substance was cocaine and claimed they were paid to transport it to Ontario, not intending to enter the U.S. De Leon will serve two years of unsupervised probation, undergo a chemical assessment, and is barred from reentering the U.S. without government permission. She forfeited $5,000 and her vehicle, and will have a review hearing in October.
Rose, 32, faces charges of aiding and abetting first-degree drug sale and possession, along with gross misdemeanor fifth-degree drug possession. Her omnibus hearing was postponed to July 1 as plea negotiations continue.