Judge finds Tampa man guilty of drug trafficking, facing 10 years in prison

FLORIDA—A Tampa man was convicted of drug trafficking following a bench trial, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (USAO) announced on Friday.

United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg said that U.S. District Judge William F. Jung found Enock Edouard, 37, guilty of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and criminal contempt.

Mr Edouard faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. Edouard was arrested on April 22, 2023, and ordered detained.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, between 2021 and 2023, Mr Edouard was part of a drug trafficking network that operated throughout the Middle District of Florida and elsewhere, including California. Working with others, Edouard reportedly moved methamphetamine and fentanyl originating in Mexico, shipped to California in car tires, then shipped or transported the drugs to Orlando and Tampa.

Mr Edouard is said to have carried large amounts of cash to California to purchase the narcotics, then utilized various accomplices to hide narcotics in boxes and suitcases for distribution in Florida. At trial, one co-conspirator described Edouard as “the only person between me and the cartels.”

It was estimated that Mr Edouard sold the co-conspirator over 300 kilograms of methamphetamine in less than 10 months.

Edouard was arrested in Las Vegas. A search warrant executed at his apartment in downtown Tampa reportedly resulted in the recovery of additional fentanyl and a firearm.

According to court documents, law enforcement ultimately seized 15 firearms, two hand grenades, more than 25 kilograms of methamphetamine, and more than $80,000 in cash from Mr Edouard and his co-conspirators.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Michael R. Kenneth and Diego F. Novaes, two assistant United States attorneys, prosecuted it.