A South Carolina man has been sentenced to 78 months in prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed large quantities of cocaine across the United States. Gerardo Calzada, 34, pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute over 500 grams of cocaine and aiding and abetting.
The investigation began in 2020 when officers from the Apex Police Department started looking into local drug trafficking activities. The Drug Enforcement Authority (DEA) later joined the probe. Calzada was identified as one of the individuals distributing drugs for the DTO. On July 26, 2023, during a surveillance operation, he was seen driving another member of the DTO to a meeting at a Food Lion parking lot where they received a paper bag. After leaving the location, Johnston County Sheriff’s deputies stopped their vehicle and found two kilograms of cocaine hidden inside cereal boxes along with other items like a digital scale and money transmittal receipts linked to Guerrero, Mexico, and Cortes, Honduras.
Calzada admitted during an interview that he traveled from South Carolina to purchase cocaine and had met with couriers multiple times.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal networks through collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The DEA worked alongside the Apex Police Department and Johnston County Sheriff’s Office on this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Sandling handled prosecution.
Further details can be accessed via court documents available on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or through PACER using Case No. 5:23-cr-00133-D-RJ.