Amanda Smith appears inset against an image of numerous pieces of evidence from a drug bust incident to a traffic stop. (Wayne County Sheriff’s Department)
An Indiana woman believed to be a drug dealer and repeat offender has been charged after allegedly faking a heart attack and hiding an “avocado-size” parcel of drugs in her vagina.
Amanda Smith, 41, stands accused of one count each: of dealing methamphetamine – 10 or more grams; dealing a narcotic drug – possession with intent to distribute fentanyl; dealing cocaine – between five and 10 grams; and dealing a Schedule III controlled substance, according to Wayne County court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Earlier this summer, Smith was charged for allegedly robbing a woman after beating her up during a meeting where the victim intended to buy supplemental nutrition assistance funds from her assailant.
On Sept. 4, Smith was arrested again following an alleged interaction with would-be drug-purchasing clients at a Phillips 66 filling station in Richmond, a small city that sits along the eastern border of Ohio.
Wayne County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Ryan Riggs allegedly saw Smith talking to drug users, so he followed her car after she left, then performed a traffic stop when she failed to use a turn signal. During the traffic stop, a police dog named Copper gave an alert that suggested drugs were likely somewhere inside the car or on Smith.
Then, the defendant promptly allegedly faked a heart attack, according to court documents obtained by Indianapolis-based Fox affiliate WXIN. While she yelled about her purported cardiac state, Smith allegedly forbade Richmond EMS from running electronic tests or evaluating her condition.
Authorities, however, took Smith to the hospital – where she allegedly refused to remove her clothes while demanding to use the restroom. By then, law enforcement believed the defendant was engaged in an extended effort to conceal drugs from them while biding her time to find a way to get rid of the evidence.
After a while, Smith allegedly agreed to change in the presence of nurses and admitted to having some fentanyl in her underwear, law enforcement claim. But the nurses allegedly saw something else: tell-tale signs of a plastic sandwich bag hidden inside of her.
The nurses relayed this information to law enforcement. Smith denied it. The woman would deny the allegation even after she was taken to the Wayne County Jail, where a body scan revealed what the deputy called an “abnormality in her pelvic area.”
Smith allegedly admitted to concealing drugs, and she removed what the deputy reportedly described as an “avocado-size plastic sandwich bag” from her vagina.
Police allegedly tested the contents of the avocado-sized trove and found methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and another powder.
Each drug had been individually wrapped and placed in the sandwich bag. A search of Smith’s vehicle would also allegedly turn up prescription drugs such as gabapentin, naloxone, and buprenorphine, police allege. Investigators also claim to have found a ledger in the vehicle that denoted customer information, weights, and drug types.
“Amanda was also in possession of several forms of medication without a prescription,” the WCSD said in a press release. “Several thousand dollars was also seized as part of an investigation into suspected drug dealing.”
Law&Crime reached out to Wayne County authorities for additional details on this story, but no response was immediately forthcoming.
Smith was released from the Wayne County Jail on Tuesday after posting $4,500 bond. She is next due in court on Sept. 20 for the drug charges. A separate bond revocation hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 18 related to her earlier robbery charges.
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Amanda Smith allegedly hid several drugs in bag inside her