A federal judge has sentenced a 39-year-old woman to 14 years in prison for dealing methamphetamine in central Illinois.
Law enforcement agencies said they found Donna Mark of Peoria at a hotel in Morton with nine pounds of ice meth in March 2021. Judge James Shadid said during sentencing that Mark got the long prison term in spite of a positive family background and short criminal history because of the scope of the drug dealing.
Prosecutors said Mark attempted to switch hotel rooms and hide bundles of methamphetamine in the toilet tank of the hotel room after giving the fake name to police. In total, law enforcement seized 8.2 pounds of ice methamphetamine from the toilet tank, an additional 818 grams of ice methamphetamine, $21,578.95 in U.S. currency, drug paraphernalia, 71.3 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, and a small amount of heroin and THC wax. Analysis by the DEA laboratory indicated the methamphetamine seized from Mark was 99% pure methamphetamine.
“This highly potent, readily available drug brings out the absolute worst in people and wreaks havoc in our communities. Our focus to keep communities safe by disrupting drug dealers at the top of the food chain will continue,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine G. Legge.
According to public records, Mark was on probation in Tazewell County for two methamphetamine-related felonies at the time of this offense and had an active warrant at the time.
The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine in this case were not less than 10 years and up to a life term of imprisonment, a five-year to life term of supervised release, and up to $10 million dollar fine, said the U.S. attorney's office.
Mark was indicted in March 2021 and pleaded guilty in August 2021. Mark has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since her arrest on March 2, 2021.
