Intercepted package leads to Bay Area narcotics arrest

"Police arrested a 47-year-old woman on Tuesday after intercepting a package containing multiple illegal narcotics shipped from Peru to a Santa Rosa residence, authorities said. Detectives with the Santa Rosa Police Department's Narcotics Investigations Team received information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection about the package, which was disguised as everyday items such as tea and herbal powders, police said in a statement Tuesday."

"After testing the contents, detectives determined the package contained about 7 ounces of ayahuasca powder, which contains the hallucinogen dimethyltryptamine, or DMT; more than 1 ounce of coca leaves, a source of cocaine; about 6.4 ounces of mescaline powder; and roughly 3.6 ounces of a green cocaine variant. All are illegal in the United States, police said. Investigators obtained a search warrant for the home the package was addressed to and an arrest warrant for the resident, Tahryn Janet Anderson."

"On Dec. 23, detectives served the warrant at Anderson's apartment in the 1200 block of Yulupa Avenue. Anderson was home and was detained without incident, police said. According to the news release, detectives found about 1.9 ounces of gamma-hydroxybutyrate, commonly known as GHB, along with drug paraphernalia and packaging materials during the search. Law enforcement agencies, including the DEA and postal inspectors, actively monitor packages using advanced tracking systems, drug-sniffing dogs, and data analytics, making it surprisingly easy to get caught, the news release said."

Police arrested a 47-year-old woman after U.S. Customs and Border Protection alerted detectives to a package from Peru disguised as tea and herbal powders. Tests found ayahuasca powder (DMT), coca leaves, mescaline powder, and a green cocaine variant. Investigators obtained search and arrest warrants for resident Tahryn Janet Anderson and served them Dec. 23 at her Yulupa Avenue apartment, where she was detained without incident. Detectives found about 1.9 ounces of GHB, paraphernalia, and packaging materials. Anderson's teenage daughter was present and released to a relative. Agencies use tracking, dogs, and analytics to monitor packages, increasing interception risk and prosecution.

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