WALLA WALLA — A former corrections officer at the Washington State Penitentiary in Walla Walla has been sentenced to five years in federal prison after she pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, according to a news release from the eastern Washington district of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
According to the news release, Leticia Rodriguez, 44, whose hometown was not listed, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
The release said that Rodriguez was part of a large drug trafficking organization that involved a legitimate landscaping business to cover up the organization’s drug trafficking activities. Investigators learned that Rodriquez acted as a courier, trafficking drugs and money between Eastern Washington, California and Arizona.
The release does not mention any trafficking in the Washington State Penitentiary, where she was arrested.
Several agencies, including the Walla Walla Police Department, investigated the case, which was prosecuted by the Richland-based eastern Washington district of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
