South Carolina, Jacksonville men plead guilty after Orange Park drug bust
JACKSONVILLE – U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Jason Laquwan Callum, 42, of Jamestown, South Carolina, and Rodney Alexander Leandro, 49, of Jacksonville, have pleaded …
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South Carolina, Jacksonville men plead guilty after Orange Park drug bust
JACKSONVILLE – U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced that Jason Laquwan Callum, 42, of Jamestown, South Carolina, and Rodney Alexander Leandro, 49, of Jacksonville, have pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute cocaine. Callum faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison for conspiring to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. Leandro 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 Sept. 27. Leandro and Callum are be sentenced on March 28.
According to court documents, in March 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration learned about a kilogram-level cocaine dealer operating in Orange Park. On April 10, 2019, law enforcement executed a search warrant on the dealer’s residence and located various narcotics, including cocaine, empty plastic heat-sealed kilogram bags with cocaine residue and $34,530 in cash. The dealer confessed and identified Leandro and Callum as his sources of supply and agreed to set up a drug transaction.
On Feb. 4, 2020, Callum and Leandro agreed to send a kilogram of cocaine to the dealer CD by 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 the 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 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, and 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. The Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case – Jacksonville Tactical Diversion Squad and Task Force Two; DEA Charleston, South Carolina; the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Charleston County Aviation Authority Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirwinn Mike is prosecuting it.
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