TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Four people from Tallahassee were sentenced this week for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute over 2,000 pounds of marijuana in North Florida.
Tyquan Watson, 28, and his half-brother, Cleveland Blackshear, 26, were sentenced to 10 years in prison for their role in the large-scale conspiracy, according to a press release shared Wednesday by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
Dezaneil Cosby, 28, was sentenced to five years in prison, and Shambresha Turner, 26, received time served and supervised release, the press release said.
Watson and Cosby were found guilty by a federal jury in February, while Blackshear and Turner had previously pled guilty.
Turner was arrested on August 16, 2022, when authorities found 40 pounds of marijuana in her suitcases at the Panama City Airport, according to officers. She told law enforcement that she was paid to transport the suitcases.
More Tallahassee news:
About a month later, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agents “conducted a controlled purchase of 28 pounds of marijuana from Cleveland Blackshear,” according to the attorney’s office.
Before that purchase, FDLE observed Blackshear get marijuana from Cosby’s home.
Agents said they observed “at least 32 suitcases and 16 garbage bags” dropped off at Cosby’s residence during a seventeen-day period in October 2022.
That same month, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) searched Cosby’s house and confiscated 238 pounds of marijuana and a gun, according to officials.
“This case is a clear example of how drug trafficking, even with substances like marijuana, is often linked to greater dangers in our community, including illegal firearms and violent crime,” said Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell.
About two years later, Watson and Cosby were arrested together in Tallahassee on March 22, 2024, on federal arrest warrants, according to authorities.
During that arrest, DEA officials said they found 183 pounds of marijuana and a gun.
Evidence from investigators at the DEA and FDLE uncovered that Watson and Cosby were shipping thousands of pounds of marijuana from California to sell in North Florida.
Watson bought 100 pounds of marijuana per week from California and resold it in Tallahassee, according to court documents.
Between September 2023 and January 2024, Watson purchased at least 3,169 pounds, or nearly 2 tons of marijuana, and made around $2.4 million, the press release said.
Watson was ordered to forfeit all the drug money as part of his sentence, according to the press release.
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Four people from Tallahassee were sentenced this week for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute over 2,000 pounds of marijuana in North Florida. Read More
