Methamphetamine Traffickers Sentenced

Tampa, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Larry Lee Woodard, Jr. (30, Bradenton) and Jesse Leahy (49, Sarasota) each to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Woodard and Leahy previously pleaded guilty. 

According to court documents, Woodard and Leahy were involved in a conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine in Bradenton and throughout Manatee County. They distributed more than 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine in Manatee County during the course of the conspiracy. 

This case was investigated by a joint Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) which includes Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Central Florida Gulf Coast High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) which includes the Bradenton Police Department, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the North Port Police Department, the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service, the Palmetto Police Department, the Sarasota Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives also assisted with the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Guzman, David Sullivan, and Suzanne Nebesky.

OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.