Leonardo Harris, Marijuana Conspiracy, Maryland 2023

A Columbia man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in a marijuana conspiracy. Leonardo Harris, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm on no date given in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Harris was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute between 1,000 and 3,000 kilograms of marijuana.

According to court records, Harris conspired with Jermaine McGregor and Jennifer Sims to obtain and transport marijuana from California to Maryland for distribution. Harris arranged for bulk cash to be transported from Maryland to California to purchase marijuana.

McGregor assisted in the transportation of the cash, packing money in suitcases which he took with him on commercial flights from Maryland to California. Harris arranged for McGregor to make at least six trips to California, transporting between $200,000 and $250,000 on each flight.

Harris directed McGregor and other conspirators where to go in California to obtain the marijuana, which the conspirators then transported to a residence in California controlled by Harris. Harris, McGregor, and other co-conspirators then packaged the marijuana for shipment to Maryland.

Harris arranged for the marijuana to be shipped to a warehouse in Beltsville, Maryland, where Sims often accepted delivery of the marijuana. Harris, McGregor and other members of the conspiracy then repackaged the marijuana for distribution and sold it to others in Maryland.

On April 19, 2013, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Harris and Sims’ residence and recovered a money counter, 17 kilograms of marijuana, and a 9mm handgun.

Jermaine McGregor, 37, of Inglewood, California, and Jennifer Sims, 33, of Columbia, Maryland previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy. McGregor was sentenced to 30 months 14 days in prison, and Sims was sentenced to four years of probation.

Harris was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a money judgment of $2 million.

Related Federal Cases