Virginia woman sentenced in 2023 St. Tammany Parish drug trafficking trial
ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A Virginia woman found guilty by a St. Tammany Parish jury on drug-related crimes in 2023, has been sentenced.
On Tuesday, Aug. 20, 32-year-old Precious Hicks was sentenced to 35 years in prison after being found guilty on a drug trafficking charge.
Additionally, due to her criminal history including firearm, assaults, larceny, fraud, forgery, drug and prostitution convictions, she originally faced up to 40 years, according to the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney’s Office.
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According to court documents, in January 2023, St. Tammany Parish Detective James Kelly reported pulling over a vehicle on Interstate 12 for tailgating. Hicks was reportedly driving the vehicle and her boyfriend was the passenger, according to Kelly.
During the stop Kelly said Hicks could not produce a driver’s license and that he “noted an odor of marijuana emanating from the vehicle.”
During a search, several amphetamine pills were reportedly found inside Hicks’ purse along with four boxes of fruity pebbles cereal, loose cereal and packages of super glue.
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Detectives report the boxes showed signs of tampering and when they were opened, thousands of suspected MDMA pills of many shapes and colors were found.
The two were arrested and during an interview, Hicks’ boyfriend reportedly told officers they had purchased the pills from Texas and intended on selling them.
In total, the boxes reported contained 7,886 methamphetamine pills weighing about 4.79 pounds.
In the Nov. 15, 2023 trial, the jury rendered a guilty verdict on charges of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of amphetamine, within seven minutes of deliberations.
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