Slidell women buys cold meds to aid in meth production

SLIDELL – Crystal Langdon, 35 years old of Slidell, pled guilty on March 15 to buying cold medications with the knowledge that they would be used to manufacture methamphetamine, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.
According to court documents, Langdon was engaged in “smurfing,” which involves various individuals going to the same or nearby stores and each making individual purchases of cold medication, which are then grouped together in order to make a batch of methamphetamine. This “smurfing” activity is in response to laws that have been passed in order to combat the domestic production of methamphetamine by restricting the sale of over-the-counter cold medications.
These medications often contain pseudoephedrine, which is a precursor chemical that can be processed to create methamphetamine. Langdon admitted to participating in this “smurfing” activity from May through June of 2015 and to buying over the counter cold medication that she gave to another individual so that he could use it to produce methamphetamine at a house on Swan Street in Slidell.
Langdon faces a maximum term of imprisonment of four years, a fine of up to $25,000, and three years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo set sentencing for June 15, 2017.
Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney David Haller is in charge of the prosecution.