COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Tucson, Arizona, woman has pleaded guilty in federal court after being caught hauling 50 kilograms of cocaine in a rented moving truck from Arizona to Ohio.
Andrea Celaya-Rodriguez, 28, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine, acknowledging her role in transporting the massive drug shipment across state lines.
According to court records, Celaya-Rodriguez was stopped on March 22, 2024, by Ohio State Highway Patrol on Interstate 70 in Madison County while driving a Penske box truck. The truck, which she had rented a few days earlier in Tucson, was due to be returned in Arizona within four days.
During the stop, a police K-9 alerted officers to the presence of narcotics, prompting a search of the vehicle. Inside the cargo area, troopers found a sectional couch, a suitcase, and a large produce bin covered with a blanket. Inside the bin were three duffel bags containing 50 individually wrapped bricks of cocaine.
After her arrest, Celaya-Rodriguez admitted to DEA agents that she was transporting the drugs from Arizona to New York in exchange for $50,000. She said she had met a man in Mexico just two weeks earlier, who later handed off the drugs to her on a rural road in Arizona. She then repackaged the cocaine into shoeboxes before loading it into the truck for transport.
As part of her plea deal, prosecutors have recommended a sentence of 33 to 41 months in prison. The final decision on her sentencing will be determined by the court at a later date.