A Tallahassee man who federal prosecutors say led a large-scale marijuana trafficking and money-laundering operation moving drugs from the West Coast to north Florida has been sentenced to two years in federal prison.
Wesley D. Thomas, 37, received the sentence for conspiracy to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida announced on Nov. 21.
The court case began in 2022, court records show.
“Dismantling this transnational drug trafficking scheme required close collaboration and cooperation between our outstanding state and federal law enforcement partners,” U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin said in a statement. “My office delivered yet another successful prosecution to send this offender to federal prison.”
According to a news release, Thomas oversaw a network that transported thousands of pounds of marijuana from California and Oregon to Tallahassee. Prosecutors said he enlisted young couriers to fly cross-country with checked luggage packed with vacuum-sealed marijuana. In one instance, a co-defendant was stopped at Tallahassee International Airport after arriving from Medford, Oregon, carrying suitcases containing 61 pounds of marijuana.
Investigators also uncovered a driving route used to bring drugs into Florida. One driver, later prosecuted in Georgia, was stopped with roughly 100 pounds of marijuana and told authorities he had been transporting 350 to 500 pounds per month for Thomas over an 18-month period.
Prosecutors said the organization relied on a network of individuals who allowed Thomas to use their bank accounts, checks, wire transfers, and money orders to launder proceeds from the drug sales. Seven of Thomas’s associates, including managers and couriers, already have been sentenced in related cases.
A request for comment is pending with Kareem L. Todman of Tallahassee, listed in court dockets as Thomas’ attorney. Court records that might explain Thomas’ sentence were not immediately available online.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, with assistance from the Tallahassee Police Department, Leon County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol.
The prosecution is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a Department of Justice initiative targeting drug cartels, transnational criminal organizations, and other large-scale criminal enterprises.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: West Coast-to-Florida marijuana pipeline ends in prison, feds say