Duval County Man Sentenced To Prison For Drug Offense At JAXPORT

Jacksonville, Florida – Senior U.S. District Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger today sentenced Bobby Lee Smith (48, Jacksonville) to 96 months in federal prison for attempting to possess with intent to distribute cocaine. He pleaded guilty on October 31, 2014.  

According to court documents, in 2012, Smith applied for and subsequently received a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) card.  The TWIC card allowed Smith to have unescorted access to various parts of the JAXPORT facility in Jacksonville.  It also allowed him to escort individuals on and off JAXPORT.

Between January and early March 2014, a law enforcement officer acting in an undercover capacity (UC) conducted a series of meetings and recorded phone calls with Smith regarding drugs coming through JAXPORT.  During these conversations, Smith stated that he could get anything on or off JAXPORT’s Blount Island Terminal.

On March 7, 2014, Smith agreed to meet with the UC’s partner at the Blount Island Terminal.  Smith agreed to pick up a package containing five kilograms of cocaine and then deliver it to the UC.  Later that day, Smith went to the JAXPORT Blount Island Terminal and, using his TWIC card, proceeded to the area where the UC’s partner was waiting.  Smith then met with the UC’s partner and took possession of a package he believed contained the cocaine. Upon exiting the terminal, Smith headed in the opposite direction of the predetermined meeting site with the UC.  Smith then examined the contents of the package and wrapped the purported cocaine in a t-shirt.  During a subsequent traffic stop by law enforcement, the package of fake cocaine was recovered from the front passenger floorboard where Smith was seated.

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigrationa and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air / Marine Branch, Coast Guard Investigative Service, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin C. Frein.