A South Carolina and a Florida man have pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine.
Jason Laquwan Callum , 43, Jamestown, SC, faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine.
Rodney Leandro, 49, Jacksonville, FL, faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. A superseding indictment was filed on September 27, 2023. Leandro and Callum will be sentenced on March 28, 2024.
According to court documents, in March 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) learned about a kilogram-level cocaine dealer (CD) operating in Orange Park, Florida.
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On April 10, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the CD’s residence and located various narcotics, including cocaine, empty plastic heat-sealed kilogram bags with cocaine residue, and $34,530 in cash. The CD later confessed and identified Leandro and Callum as his sources of supply and agreed to set up a drug transaction.
On February 4, 2020, Callum and Leandro agreed to send a kilogram of cocaine to the CD via a courier from South Carolina to the Jacksonville area for $33,000. Once the courier arrived, Clay County Sheriff’s Office deputies intercepted the courier’s vehicle and, during this interaction, the courier admitted to having cocaine in the front seat. Further, the courier explained that she began transporting drugs for Callum in 2019, and stated that she delivered drugs to various states, including South Carolina, New York, Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina.
The courier admitted to making at least 10 trips that involved cocaine—each delivery had at least one kilogram or more of cocaine. The courier has also pleaded guilty to cocaine distribution in the Middle District of Florida.
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