PHILADELPHIA, PA — Constance Arrington, 35, formerly of Los Angeles, California, pleaded guilty on Monday, April 7, to one count of possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The plea was entered before United States District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson.
Arrington was charged in March 2023 following an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) into her role in an international and interstate cocaine trafficking organization. Authorities tracked her frequent short trips between Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and other U.S. cities, often involving same-day or next-day returns.
On March 15, 2024, the DEA’s Philadelphia Field Division, acting on information from DEA Los Angeles and local law enforcement, conducted surveillance as Arrington flew to Philadelphia from Los Angeles. Arriving with no checked luggage, she rented a car and drove to a New Jersey office complex, evading surveillance briefly before loading three large boxes into her vehicle.
Law enforcement stopped Arrington in Philadelphia after she crossed the Ben Franklin Bridge. A search of her vehicle uncovered 24 kilograms of cocaine, packaged individually, in the boxes she had retrieved.
Arrington is scheduled for sentencing on July 29 and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison, with a maximum possible sentence of life.
The case is part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program and was investigated by the DEA Philadelphia, DEA Los Angeles, the Philadelphia Police Department, and the Los Angeles Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy Lanni is prosecuting the case.
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