A Missouri woman pleaded guilty in federal court to selling methamphetamine in exchange for food stamps in a drug dealing and welfare trafficking conspiracy Monday.
Julie Drake admitted that she would accept someone else’s EBT cards, which is how individuals use their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. She’d buy groceries as payment for methamphetamine, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Western District of Missouri.
Drake would also take EBT cards and give back half the card’s value in cash; she used the cards to buy her own groceries, according to the statement. (RELATED: USDA Still Can’t Prevent Food Stamps Fraud)
Sheriffs officers in Vernon County, Mo., found 22 bags of methamphetamine packed for distribution, along with four EBT cards belonging to other people when they raided Drake’s home in 2015.
One of the EBT cards belonged to a man who admitted he bought a quarter ounce of methamphetamine, worth around $55, from Drake in exchange for an EBT card with more about $100 in benefits on it.
Another card found in Drake’s home belonged to a man who said he would sell his benefits for half the value in cash. Drake would come to his home, call the toll-free number on the back of the EBT card to verify the balance, then reimburse the man half the value in cash.
Follow Thomas Phippen on Twitter
Send tips to thomas@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.