Tyler woman accused of helping girlfriend deal drugs pleads guilty

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - A woman accused of dealing drugs and laundering money pleaded guilty on Thursday morning.

Shelby Renee Dedmon, 20, of Tyler, was arrested in Oct. 2022 for marijuana possession and money laundering following an investigation of her girlfriend, Leslie Venegas, 23. On Thursday, Dedmon pleaded guilty to both charges and received five years adjudicated probation in Judge Debby Gunter’s court.

Venegas was suspected of dealing large amounts of drugs, and after following the pair throughout a night of what appeared to be drug transactions, investigators confronted them. A plausible cause search of the vehicle, driven by Dedmon, revealed 6.2 ounces of marijuana, 7.4 ounces of illegal mushrooms, three pounds of THC-infused items, and about $5,000 cash.

When a search warrant was requested for the apartment of the women, according to the affidavit, VICE detectives located a money counter, vacuum sealers, $54,423 cash, a Glock 45 9mm handgun, a Taurus G# 9mm handgun, 1.6 ounces THC-infused cookies, 3.94 pounds THC vape cartridges, 11.6 ounces marijuana, drug/narcotics sales ledgers, a storage building key and a duffle bag used for transporting marijuana.

Tax documents found in the home showed that neither woman appeared to have a legitimate source of income, with the gross of one of the women reported to be $77. The women were held in Smith County Jail on $300,000 total bonds each.

Venegas is scheduled for a plea hearing on May 30 in Judge Debby Gunter’s court.

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