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Tampa Man Indicted for Cocaine Trafficking
A federal jury in Tampa, Florida has delivered a guilty verdict against Virgil Cooper, 42, a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, and Angelo Jordan, 49, of Euclid, Ohio, for their involvement in a cocaine distribution conspiracy.
The investigation, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, revealed that Cooper had established contact with a former federal prison cellmate who had been deported to Colombia after serving his sentence. Cooper sought to purchase multiple kilograms of cocaine directly from Colombia at a discounted rate. The former cellmate introduced Cooper to a Drug Enforcement Administration confidential source who helped arrange for a viewing of 10 kilograms of cocaine with undercover officers in Tampa in February 2023.
Due to Cooper’s status in a halfway house at the time, he sent his friend, Jordan, to view the cocaine. After repeated communications and Cooper’s release from the halfway house, Cooper and Jordan traveled from Cleveland to Tampa on August 3, 2023, to deliver a down payment of $120,000 for an initial 30 kilograms of cocaine. It was during this transaction that they were arrested.
The case against Virgil Cooper and Angelo Jordan is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation, which aims to disrupt and dismantle high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States.
Both Cooper and Jordan face a minimum penalty of 15 years’ imprisonment, due to prior serious drug or violent felonies. Their maximum penalty could be life in federal prison. The sentencing hearings have not yet been set.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Tampa Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney David Rehfuss and Assistant United States Attorney E. Jackson Boggs, Jr.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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