FLORIDA – A Florida man has been sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for allegedly shipping himself over 18 pounds of methamphetamine, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (USAO) has announced.
According to the USAO, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Jason Ryan Hardy, 40, of Tarpon Springs, to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Hardy pleaded guilty on January 11, 2022, the USAO said.
According to court documents, Hardy flew to California to coordinate the delivery of methamphetamine from California to Florida. On June 19, 2020, package delivery employees in California reported receiving a suspicious package. Despite being shipped from California, the sender’s address and the return address on the package were reportedly both based out of Florida.
The sender’s address was later reportedly confirmed to be Hardy’s, and Hardy was listed as the person to return the package to if the package could not be delivered.
Law enforcement officers reportedly searched the package and said they discovered that it contained more than 18 pounds of methamphetamine. On June 22, 2020, Hardy is alleged to have called to inquire about the status of the package. He identified himself by his first name and provided his true phone number and e-mail address, the USAO said.
“This criminal was stopped from smuggling large amounts of deadly drugs into our communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs.
“HSI special agents, working with our partners from the Tarpon Springs Police Department and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, prevented large amounts of methamphetamine from entering our neighborhoods and have certainly saved lives.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Tarpon Springs Police Department, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally.
