Florida Man Sentenced To More Than 10 Years In Federal Prison For Shipping Himself Over 18 Pounds Of Methamphetamine

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington has sentenced Jason Ryan Hardy (40, Tarpon Springs) to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Hardy pleaded guilty on January 11, 2022.

According to court documents, Hardy flew to California to coordinate the delivery of methamphetamine from California to Florida. On June 19, 2020, package delivery employees in California reported receiving a suspicious package. Despite being shipped from California, the sender’s address and the return address on the package were both based out of Florida. The sender’s address was later confirmed to be Hardy’s and Hardy was listed as the person to return the package to if the package could not be delivered. Law enforcement officers searched the package and discovered that it contained more than 18 pounds of methamphetamine. On June 22, 2020, Hardy called to inquire about the status of the package. He identified himself by his first name and provided his true phone number and e-mail address.

“This criminal was stopped from smuggling large amounts of deadly drugs into our communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs. “HSI special agents, working with our partners from the Tarpon Springs Police Department and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, prevented large amounts of methamphetamine from entering our neighborhoods and have certainly saved lives.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Tarpon Springs Police Department, and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Charlie D. Connally.