COLUMBUS, Ohio - Adrian A. Douglas, 48, of Columbus, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Douglas led a Central Ohio marijuana trafficking ring that involved receiving UPS shipments of the drug from Las Vegas and mailing cash back to the supplier.
Douglas’s son, Justin A. Douglas, 28, as well as Joshua N. Barron, 28, previously pleaded guilty to the same two charges. Raymond Tillman, 42, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. All three men are also Columbus residents.
Benjamin C. Glassman, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Ryan L. Korner, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation, Timothy J. Plancon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs and other members of the Ohio Organized Crime Commission’s Central Ohio Drug Enforcement task force announced the pleas entered into before U.S. District Judge Michael H Watson.
The Statement of Facts in this case details that between November 2015 and December 2016, investigators documented 264 packages sent via UPS from Las Vegas to Columbus. Those packages contained a total of more than 3,000 kilograms of marijuana.
Once co-conspirators distributed the marijuana in Central Ohio, they mailed cash back to the source of supply in Las Vegas. Investigators documented 41 packages shipped from Columbus to Las Vegas during the same timeframe.
For example, on December 7, 2016, an 18-pound package was shipped via UPS from Columbus to Las Vegas but was interdicted in Kentucky by law enforcement. The package contained more than $199,000 in cash.
On Dec. 21, 2016, a series of search warrants were conducted at locations associated with the drug ring and turned up more than $331,000 in cash at Justin Douglas’s residence on Scioto Chase Blvd. An Additional $27,000 in cash was found at the residence of Adrian Douglas and more than $58,000 was seized from Raymond Tillman during a traffic stop.
Conspiracy to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana is a crime punishable by a range of 10 years to life in prison and a potential maximum fine of $10 million. Conspiracy to commit money laundering carries a potential maximum of sentence of 20 years in prison and a possible fine of up to $500,000.
All four defendants were indicted in February.
U.S. Attorney Glassman commended the investigation of this case by the IRS Criminal Investigation, DEA and Columbus Police, as well as Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Kelley, who is representing the United States in this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
