Laquise O. Johnson, Drug Trafficking, Ohio 2019

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former postal employee has been sentenced to prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that used a post office box in Ohio to receive shipments of marijuana and methamphetamine from California.

Laquise O. Johnson, 31, of Columbus, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for receiving shipments of marijuana and methamphetamine from California at a post office box he rented where he worked and for stealing items from the mail.

According to court documents, Postal Inspectors began investigating reports of drug trafficking between Ohio and California in 2017. They determined that Johnson, a processing clerk, had rented a post office box to facilitate the drug trafficking.

Johnson also admitted to stealing mail containing a Bluetooth speaker and art supplies. He pleaded guilty on June 5, 2019, to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and one count of theft of mail.

The investigation was led by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

Johnson's sentence was announced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge James L. Graham. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan J.C. Grey.

Johnson's crimes were a clear abuse of his position as a postal employee, and his sentence reflects the seriousness of his actions. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to protecting the integrity of the mail and upholding the law.

In a separate incident, Johnson was found to have received a parcel containing 1,438 grams of methamphetamine and another parcel with 493 grams of marijuana from California.

Johnson's actions not only put the community at risk but also undermined the trust that the public has in the postal service.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/former-postal-employee-sentenced-prison-drug-trafficking-mail-theft