Luray woman pleads guilty to federal drug conspiracy charge

A Luray woman, whom police stopped for driving with a suspended license and found to be in possession of methamphetamine and other drugs, pleaded guilty yesterday in U.S. District Court to a pair of federal drug charges, Acting United States Attorney Daniel P. Bubar announced.

Amanda Marie Catoe, 32, pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Catoe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison. She will be sentenced on April 21, 2021.
“Methamphetamine continues to plague communities in the Western District,” Acting U.S. Attorney Bubar stated today. “Prosecuting those that distribute meth and therefore perpetuate the destruction caused by it continues to be a top priority of this office and I appreciate the hard work of our federal and state partners that went into this case.”

According to court documents, on January 8, 2019, officers stopped Catoe’s vehicle for driving with a suspended license. A narcotics canine arrived at the scene and alerted to the vehicle. Upon searching the vehicle, officers found several bags of methamphetamine, marijuana, and cash.

A search warrant was executed at Catoe’s residence in Luray. Officers found methamphetamine hidden under the stairs, hallucinogenic mushrooms, morphine, psilocyn, documents detailing prior drug transactions, and at least ten firearms, including four shotguns and four rifles.

The investigation of the case was conducted by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm, and Explosives, Luray Police Department, and Page County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jeb Terrien is prosecuting the case for the United States.