PHOENIX, AZ – The feds came down hard on a cross-country drug operation this week, slapping Darius Blackwell, 38, of Mesa, Arizona, with over nine years in federal prison. His accomplice, Grady Blackwell, 62, of Lithonia, Georgia, will spend five years behind bars. Both men were sentenced on March 9, 2015, by U.S. District Court Judge Neil V. Wake after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The Blackwells weren’t running a corner operation. They built a sophisticated system to ship marijuana across state lines using the United States Postal Service. According to court documents, the pair sourced the drugs in Arizona, then flooded the market – primarily in Georgia – with packages of weed. It wasn’t a small-time hustle, either. Investigators tracked at least 50 kilograms of marijuana moving through the mail as part of their scheme.
But moving the product was only half the battle. The Blackwells also needed to get the cash flowing back to Arizona. They opened seven separate bank accounts in March 2012 specifically to funnel the profits. The accounts saw nearly $410,000 in deposits – mostly in cold, hard cash dropped off in Georgia – and over $395,000 withdrawn, again largely in cash, in Arizona. A clear attempt to hide the illegal income, and it didn’t work.
The operation wasn’t exactly subtle. Postal inspectors, the IRS Criminal Investigation division, and the Mesa Police Department all contributed to the investigation, piecing together the evidence of the Blackwells’ lucrative, but ultimately doomed, enterprise. Shipping records painted a clear picture of the constant flow of packages, while the financial trail led directly to the pair’s attempts to launder the dirty money.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald Pashayan, Brian Larson, and Mark Wenker, all from the District of Arizona, Phoenix, prosecuted the case, securing convictions and ensuring both Blackwells faced significant prison time. This case, numbered CR-13-1462-PHX-NVW, serves as a warning: moving drugs and money across state lines will land you a federal indictment, and a lengthy stay in a federal penitentiary.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona continues to aggressively pursue drug trafficking and financial crimes. For more information, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/. Follow them on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest updates on federal cases in the state. This bust is another example of the relentless pursuit of justice in the face of organized criminal activity.
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Key Facts
- State: Arizona
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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