OAKLAND: A 48-year-old woman was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison for smuggling 600 grams of cocaine into Oakland International Airport last year, federal authorities said.
The sentence for Cheryl Denise Frazier was part of a plea agreement after she pleaded guilty on Jan. 23, according to U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag and DEA Acting Special Agent in Chair Bruce Balzano.
Federal authorities say Frazier hid the drugs in her clothing when she entered the airport on Aug. 20, 2014, intending to take the drugs onto a commercial flight and distribute them later.
She was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Frazier’s prison sentence begins immediately.
Her sentencing comes the same week authorities announced charges for 14 people involved in a years-long operation to smuggle marijuana primarily through Oakland airport to be distributed elsewhere. Conspirators included three Southwest Airline baggage handlers, who allegedly brought the marijuana into the airport using their special security access, then handed it off to others who had booked travel across the United States.
