Arizona Man Sentenced for Drug Conspiracy in South Carolina

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Antonie Elbert Eaddy, 49, of Goodyear, Arizona, has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute a quantity of crack cocaine, 5 kilograms of cocaine, 400 grams of fentanyl, and a quantity of marijuana.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that Eaddy and others are responsible for selling 5 kilograms or more of cocaine, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, a quantity of crack cocaine, and a quantity of marijuana.

During their investigation, agents intercepted telephone calls between Eaddy and others talking about sending cocaine and fentanyl from Arizona to South Carolina, concealing them in a box that contained a clock and sending the proceeds back to Eaddy in Arizona. Eaddy also shipped packages of drugs through the mail to Columbia, Florence, Myrtle Beach as well as locations in North Carolina, Maryland, and Florida. Eaddy also used couriers to bring drugs to the east coast and return the drug proceeds to him in Arizona. Eaddy and four other members of his conspiracy were charged together in South Carolina. All have pleaded guilty to their involvement in the conspiracy.

United States District Court Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced Eaddy to 135 months imprisonment, to be followed by a five-year term of court-ordered supervision.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This operation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney William K. Witherspoon is prosecuting the case.

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