A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 78 months in prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for moving large quantities of cocaine across the United States. Gerardo Calzada, aged 34, pled guilty on October 31, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and aiding and abetting.
The investigation into the DTO began in 2020 when officers from the Apex Police Department started looking into an individual suspected of drug trafficking in the area. The Drug Enforcement Authority (DEA) later joined the investigation. Calzada was identified as one of the individuals distributing drugs on behalf of the DTO.
On July 26, 2023, during a surveillance operation, Calzada was seen driving another member of the DTO to a meeting behind a local Food Lion store. There, another DTO member received a paper bag. After leaving the parking lot, Johnston County Sheriff's deputies stopped Calzada's vehicle. A consensual search revealed two kilograms of cocaine hidden inside cereal boxes, along with a digital scale, a drug ledger, and money transmittal receipts to Guerrero, Mexico, and Cortes, Honduras. During an interview with agents, Calzada admitted to traveling from South Carolina to purchase cocaine and meeting with couriers at least ten times.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level drug traffickers and criminal organizations threatening the United States through a collaborative approach involving federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced this development following sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The DEA conducted this investigation alongside the Apex Police Department and Johnston County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Sandling prosecuted the case.
Court documents related to this case can be accessed on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or through PACER under Case No. 5:23-cr-00133-D-RJ.
