Oakland woman who ran drug delivery service for young professionals, students sentenced to 4 years

(KRON) — An Oakland woman who ran an on-demand drug delivery service that catered to young professionals and students has been sentenced to four years in federal prison. The United States Department of Justice announced Friday that Natalie Marie Gonzalez was the leader of a drug trafficking service that supplied drugs to customers across the Bay Area.

Gonzalez, 31, was indicted along with three co-defendants in October, 2023. Last September, she pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and substance containing methamphetamine.

According to the plea agreement cited by the DOJ, Gonzalez used elaborate means to serve customers around the Bay Area through an illicit drug business known as “The Shop.” The business supplied a broad range of controlled substances and required a $300 minimum for postal shipments and local delivery.

Gonzalez used the encrypted messaging app Signal and paid her delivery drivers — some of whom were her co-defendants — to deliver drugs to customers. During the investigation, Gonzalez told an undercover agent that her customer base was “a lot of students and young professionals.”

Gonzalez made multiple sales of methamphetamine pills to an undercover agent that were delivered by driver. In one instance in July 2023, Gonzalez messaged the agent to, “Please meet him at the car (white Subaru Forester) with exact change and either: — Hop in for a short ‘Uber” ride around the block — Get your order through the window like Door Dash — Or play with the pup outside the car to cover up a casual swap :).”

The Shop advertised on its drug menu that it accepted both cash and cryptocurrency and gave the undercover agent multiple Bitcoin addresses to pay for drugs.

While executing a search warrant on Sept. 13, 2023 at the group’s stash house, agents seized almost a kilogram of fentanyl, roughly seven kilograms of cocaine, orange fake Adderall pills containing meth, and ketamine.

In addition to four years in prison, the judge ordered Gonzalez to serve three years of supervised release.