LAKELAND, Fla. – A Lakeland woman is behind bars after federal agents intercepted a shipment of veterinary sedatives from India, uncovering what Polk County detectives describe as a black-market surgical operation for dogs.
The investigation began when U.S. Customs officials in New York flagged a package addressed to a home on North Socrum Loop Road. Inside the box, authorities found eight containers of liquid Xylazine, a powerful sedative often called “tranq” when diverted for illegal street use. In total, the shipment contained 240 grams of the substance.
On February 26, 2026, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, alongside Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, served a search warrant at the residence. There, they met 35-year-old Ashley Wimbrow…