A 49-year-old Amarillo woman was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for her role in a drug trafficking conspiracy that brought methamphetamine into the William P. Clements Unit, a maximum-security state prison in Potter County, Texas. The sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson for the Northern District of Texas.
Veronica Wertz pleaded guilty in March 2025 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. She was sentenced on July 9, 2025, by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk.
Romantic Ties and Prison Corruption
According to court documents and investigators, Wertz was romantically involved with an inmate at the Clements Unit who coordinated drug trafficking operations from within the prison. That inmate was working with Ricky Eugene Hall, a now-former corrections officer at the facility, who smuggled methamphetamine and other contraband into the prison.
Wertz admitted to receiving drug shipments at her Amarillo residence and then handing them off to Hall. Investigators discovered text messages and other communications between Wertz and Hall discussing the drug transfers, the inmates involved, and the concealment of contraband within the facility.
“Plays” and Drop Locations
Hall told FBI agents that he coordinated drug smuggling operations using burner phones to communicate directly with inmates. Inmates arranged for outside drug suppliers—like Wertz—to meet Hall in Amarillo, where he would receive pre-packaged narcotics…