Organizer Of Major Trafficking Network Sentenced To Over 26 Years In Operation Third World

BATON ROUGE, LA - United States Attorney Walt Green announced the sentencing of Charles C. London, age 41, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  Today, District Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Charles C. London to serve 322 months in prison.  London was a leading  member of a drug trafficking network operating in Baton Rouge and the surrounding areas.  The defendant was prosecuted as part of Operation Third World, which resulted in a federal grand jury indictment against 39 individuals.  To date, 33 defendants have either pled guilty or are in the process of pleading guilty and the remaining 4 defendants are set for trial in January 2017.

On January 6, 2016, London pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 and 18 U.S.C. § 2; distribution of MDMC and BZP, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); distribution of 28 grams or more of crack cocaine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute MDMA, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 846 and 18 U.S.C. § 2; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c); and unlawful use of a communications facility, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 843(b).

According to the factual basis filed in LONDON’s plea agreement, beginning in early 2013, and continuing through September of 2013, LONDON conspired to distribute at least 21 kilograms of cocaine, 630 grams of crack cocaine and over 9,000 MDMA tablets.  On September 5, 2013, the defendant possessed at his residence in Baton Rouge, LA, in excess of 8,500 BZP pills, over $123,000, a digital scale, a money counter and a loaded Glock .40 caliber pistol.

U.S. Attorney Green stated:  “Today’s sentence sends a message to drug traffickers that the United States Attorney’s Office  is committed to prosecuting drug traffickers to the full extent of the law with deserved consequences for polluting our streets and ruining the lives of our citizens with dangerous drugs. 

This operation is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Baton Rouge City Police Department, the West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office, the East Baton Rouge Parish Sherriff’s Office, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Louisiana State Police, the Iberville Parish Sherriff’s Office, the Livingston Parish Sherriff’s Office, the Gonzales Police Department, and the Baker Police Department.  This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Kleinpeter and Adam Ptashkin.