By Grace Jacobson / News Director

FARGO, N.D. — The Stearns County woman apprehended by immigration authorities in Mexico last year pleaded guilty this week to drug trafficking charges.

Thirty-three-year-old Deanna Maria Gerads from Freeport, Minn. appeared in Federal court in Fargo, N.D. on Tuesday where she pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances.

After being a fugitive for over a year, Mexican immigration authorities apprehended Gerads on Aug. 1, 2023, and deported her back to the States.

Gerads’ sentencing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 2, 2024.

Her case is part of an ongoing investigation into the international trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.