MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WFLA) – A Florida man has been sentenced to several years in federal prison after traveling on a plane with a suitcase full of drugs two years ago.
According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Rashid James-Wooten, 29, formerly of Florida, was sentenced for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Kevin R. Ritz stated in court that on Sept. 8, 2021, detectives with the Memphis Police Department’s Organized Crime Unit received information that “narcotics were possibly on a flight from Los Angeles to Memphis.”
After receiving this news, investigators used a drug-sniffing dog, which led authorities to a “positive alert” on a suitcase that belonged to James-Wooten.
When investigators searched the suitcase, they found 996 grams of fentanyl, 4,472 grams of methamphetamine, and 1,200 grams of marijuana. James-Wooten was taken into custody after he went to baggage claim about his “lost luggage.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, James-Wooten pled guilty to the offense.
On March 23, United States District Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr. sentenced him to six years of federal prison time. In addition to his six-year sentence, James-Wooten will also have to serve three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department Organized Crime Unit, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Memphis Airport Police, and the United States Customs and Border Protection.
