Cape Coral woman arrested for having meth-laced candy

Reporter: Jolena Esperto Writer: Carolina Guzman
Published: Updated:
Katherine Justine Leriche Credit: The Cape Coral Police Department

A woman has been arrested for allegedly having meth-laced candy during a traffic stop in Cape Coral.

According to the Cape Coral Police Department, at around 10:59 p.m. on Thursday, officers conducted a traffic stop on a car in the 4100 block of Del Prado Boulevard South for only one working headlight.

Officers searched the driver’s background, 42-year-old Katherine Justine Leriche, and found she had two warrants out of South Carolina and Tennessee for drug-related offenses.

It also revealed she is on probation and had a curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., was not allowed to have drugs or alcohol and was not allowed to drive. 

Leriche had a Ziploc bag of gummy bears in her hand and continued to hold onto them while being interviewed by police.

A police K9 conducted an open-air sniff with a positive result.

Officers then searched the car and found a gummy bear on the front seat and a baggy Twizzlers.

All items were field-tested and came back positive for methamphetamine (178.5 grams).

She told officers she was on her way to an arcade in Fort Myers.

Leriche was taken to the Lee County Jail.

When Leriche was taken to the Lee County Jail, deputies found two baggies containing a crystal-like substance in her groin area under her clothing.

Both tested positive for methamphetamine and amphetamine (26 grams). 

Leriche is being charged with possession of a controlled substance, trafficking methamphetamine and amphetamine over 14 grams, smuggling contraband into a correctional facility and probation violation.

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