TAMPA, Fla. – Zecki Halum received a three-year, five-month federal prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Charlene Honeywell after his conviction for conspiring to possess and distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana. Halum pleaded guilty on July 24, 2024.
Court documents show that the Drug Enforcement Administration learned in August 2009 about a recreational vehicle (RV) planned to move a large amount of marijuana from Arizona to Florida.
Law enforcement agents tracked the RV while Halum’s accomplice transported it to Florida. The RV driver kept in touch with Halum through daily phone conversations during their journey across the country.
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Halum arrived in Tampa, where he met another co-conspirator and the RV driver. The group proceeded to a church parking lot in Crystal Springs to remove the marijuana from the RV.
When they arrived at their meeting location, agents arrested Halum together with his co-conspirators. The law enforcement agents discovered over 100 kilograms of baled marijuana wrapped in drug trafficking style packaging inside the RV.
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Halum missed his court date in February 2010 while his trial was still in progress. Halum escaped from the country and lived as a fugitive for almost 15 years until he eventually turned himself in to authorities.
The Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorney Jeff Chang together with Kelley Howard-Allen handle the prosecution of this case.
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