Florida Kingpin Who Used Oregon Couriers to Move 2,200 Pounds of Marijuana Gets Two Years in Federal Prison

A drug trafficker from Florida, who used couriers from Oregon to move thousands of pounds of marijuana from the West Coast to Tallahassee, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison.

Florida Man Sentenced for Distributing 2,200 Pounds of Marijuana

Wesley D. Thomas (37) was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute in excess of 2,200 pounds of marijuana, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, Thomas was the head of a drug trafficking ring and paid young men and women to fly from Oregon and California. They would then return home with suitcases packed with vacuum-sealed marijuana.

A Courier from Medford Was Detained With 61 Pounds of Marijuana

A courier from Medford, Oregon, was arrested at the Tallahassee International Airport with suitcases packed with 61 pounds of marijuana.

Thomas also employed couriers to drive from the West Coast to Tallahassee. One of the drivers was prosecuted federally in Georgia after he was caught in a traffic stop with 100 pounds of marijuana in the vehicle.

The driver told law enforcement agents that he transported between 350 and 500 pounds of marijuana every month for the 18 months he worked for Thomas.

Head of the Drug Trafficking Ring Paid People to Launder the Proceeds of Drug Sales

Thomas paid people to use bank accounts, checks, wires, and money orders to launder drug proceeds.

Seven people employed by Thomas as managers and couriers have already been prosecuted and sentenced.

Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in cracking the transnational drug trafficking operation, according to DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter.

Involved in the operation were officers and agents from the DEA, the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol.

The news release states that the case formed part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that ‘marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from perpetrators of violent crime.’