JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Florida man and known Six Block street gang member has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime following a joint Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Jacksonville investigation.
Al’Donta Easterling, 26, of Jacksonville, faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to the plea agreement, beginning no later than October 2022 and continuing through July 2024, Easterling was an armed distributor for a drug trafficking organization that transported large quantities of marijuana from California to Jacksonville. Easterling and his co-conspirators routinely traveled to California, where they acquired marijuana and smuggled it back to Jacksonville in suitcases on commercial flights or through mail parcels.
In Jacksonville, Easterling and his co-conspirators sold marijuana from short-term rental properties. At these residences, Easterling and his co-conspirators routinely carried and possessed firearms to protect themselves, the drugs they distributed, and proceeds from the drug sales. Federal agents seized more than 100 kilograms of marijuana from the drug trafficking organization during the investigation. On May 22, detectives from the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) arrested Easterling after finding a pound of marijuana and a loaded Glock pistol in his vehicle. According to JSO, Easterling is a documented member of the Six Block street gang.
This case was investigated by HSI Jacksonville, the ATF, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the JSO, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Highway Patrol. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Aakash Singh and Kirwinn Mike.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.