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Two suspicious packages recently sent by mail to Evansville, Ind. ended up containing approximately 40 pounds of meth inside bags of Cheetos. Is this was the first time that people have been caught attempting to smuggle narcotics inside bags of Cheetos? It’s 2025, so, obviously, no.
According to 44 News, two people were arrested in Evansville on Wednesday for packing their meth in bags of Cheetos and shipping it through the mail. 46-year-old Natasha Renee Garner and 36-year-old Goldie Rodney Junior Flenor, both from Los Angeles, were busted when they went to pick up the packages.
The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office reports that detectives with the Evansville-Vanderburgh County Drug Task Force were notified by the delivery facility about the packages of Cheetos bags addressed to a home on Ridgeway Avenue in Evansville. Upon responding, they determined that the bags contained meth.
After staking out the address, detectives observed a white van arrive, two people pick up the packages, then get back in the van. When police attempted to stop the van, the suspects fled. They were apprehended when the van crashed into a Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office SUV.
“Given the weight of the packaging and the weight of the drugs themselves, the estimated street value is over $200,000,” Vanderburgh County Sheriff Noah Robinson said at a press conference.
“It’s been said before that we put a dent in drug trafficking, but we know that the opioid epidemic is still gripping Evansville,” Sheriff Robinson added. “We’ve made a lot of progress in enforcement and treatment, but meth is never something that has really gone away. It is still a large portion of the drug trafficking we’re seeing. There are a lot of people in the hands of meth addiction, and that addiction is fueling the supply of methamphetamines coming to our community.”
Garner and Flenor are now facing federal charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. They were transported to the Henderson County, Kentucky Jail following their arrests.
As for people trying to smuggle drugs in bags of Cheetos in the past, back in 2019, 12 cruise passengers – six men and six women – were busted smuggling $2.6 worth of cocaine on board a MSC Opera cruise ship. Nearly 40 pounds of the drug was hidden in Cheetos bags and ceramic bowls. Apparently, 40 pounds is drug smugglers’ go-to amount when hiding narcotics in bags of Cheetos.