Head of Large Scale Jamaican Drug Trafficking Ring Sentenced to 22 Years and 2 Months on a Continuing Criminal Enterprise Charge

             TUCSON, Ariz. – Mikado Nabob Thompson, 33, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, a native of Jamaica and lawful permanent resident of the United States, was sentenced on January 9, 2012, to 22 years and two months by United States District Court Judge Raner C. Collins.  The defendant had previously been found guilty of Continuing Criminal Enterprise and Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute over 1000 Kilograms of Marijuana and Possession with the Intent to Distribute over 100 Kilograms of Marijuana, by a federal jury after a five week trial in Tucson held from August to October 2011. His co-defendant, Paul L. Williams, also a Jamaican national, was sentenced to 121 months for Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Marijuana. Twelve other co-conspirators, many of them born in Jamaica, pleaded guilty prior to trial.

            The evidence at trial showed that during the span of the conspiracy from 2002 to 2009, Thompson, and members of his violent drug trafficking organization, distributed in excess of 11,000 pounds of marijuana from Tucson to cities in the eastern United States, such as Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, Atlanta, Jacksonville and Tampa. During the course of the conspiracy, Thompson and other members of his organization accumulated multiple assets including a 2008 Lamborghini Murcielago purchased for $335,000.00 in cash by Thompson.  Additionally, federal agents in this case seized a 2006 Rolls Royce Phantom valued at approximately $253,000.00, as well as over $100,000.00 in cash and multiple weapons. Judge Collins entered an order of forfeiture against Thompson in the amount of $4.4 million.

The investigation in this case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration Tucson District Office, with the assistance of Immigration and Customs Enforcement/ Homeland Security Investigations Tucson, Tucson Police Department and the Marana Police Department. The prosecution was handled by James T. Lacey, Anthony E. Maingot and Ryan P. DeJoe, Assistant United States Attorneys, United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson.

CASE NUMBER:                  CR-10-00915-TUC-RCC
RELEASE NUMBER:           2012-003 (Thompson)

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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az