United States Drug Enforcement Administration

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Michael Gannon, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-Indianapolis, and U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers of the Southern District of Indiana announced that Varonique Lowe, 44, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents, on Sept. 9, 2021, Lowe was arrested in Terre Haute, Indiana, following a traffic stop. Lowe, who was driving the vehicle, stated she did not have a valid driver’s license. When the officer approached initially approached Lowe’s vehicle, he noticed the smell of burnt marijuana. A police K9 was called in to perform a narcotics search of Lowe’s vehicle, which resulted in a positive alert. A search of the vehicle revealed 768 grams of pure methamphetamine found inside of an Igloo cooler. Lowe admitted to possessing the methamphetamine with the intent to sell it to others. There were also two minor children in Lowe’s vehicle at the time of the traffic stop.

Lowe has 10 prior felony and 21 misdemeanor convictions in California, including six convictions relating to the sale of controlled substances and assault with a deadly weapon.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Terre Haute Police Department investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson. As part of the sentence, Judge Stinson ordered that Lowe be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for five years following her release from federal prison.