Champaign woman found guilty of conspiracy to distribute meth

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) – A Champaign woman was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute more than 500 grams of meth.

35-year-old Malaia A. Turner was found to have colluded with several people to take large amounts of crystal meth from Illinoisan and Californian suppliers to Central Illinois. The drug was then distributed to people in Champaign, Coles, and Edgar Counties in exchange for money.

Turner has been in the custody of the United States Fire Marshal since her arrest in August 2022. She was convicted by a federal grand jury on Friday after four days of court hearings. Turner’s sentencing is set for September 23 in Urbana, where she faces statutory penalties of 10 years to life in prison, a fine up to $10 million, and at least five years of supervised release following her prison term.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Springfield Field Office, the Illinois State Police’s East Central Illinois Task Force, and the United States Postal Inspection Service investigated Turner’s case as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation. The OCDETF aims to take down the country’s highest-level criminals and their organizations.

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