New York Man is 12th Convicted from National Cocaine Distribution Cell Located in Goose Creek

COLUMBIA, SC—Acting United States Attorney Kevin F. McDonald stated that Carlos Tejada, age 30, of the Bronx, New York, was convicted by a federal jury last week in Charleston for conspiracy to distribute kilograms of cocaine and launder drug money. Senior United States District Judge Sol Blatt, Jr., presided over the trial and will sentence Tejada later this year. Tejada faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years' imprisonment and faces a maximum term of life.

Evidence presented during the week-long trial established that in 2008, Tejada purchased and distributed more than 50 kilograms of cocaine from a drug trafficking cell operating out of Goose Creek, South Carolina. The two-year investigation revealed that the Goose Creek cell arranged for hundreds of kilograms of Mexican cocaine to be transported by cars with hidden compartments from Tuscon, Arizona, and El Paso, Texas, to South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Florida, and New York for distribution. The cell also transported drug proceeds back to Arizona and Texas to members of Mexican drug cartels, who then smuggled the bulk U.S. currency to Mexico. In addition to purchasing and distributing cocaine, Tejada aided the cell by providing a vehicle with a hidden compartment to satisfy a drug debt owed to the cell.

The case to date has resulted in the indictment of 18 people and the seizure of more than $2,000,000 in cash and 15 kilograms of cocaine. Tejada is the 12th person convicted, with the remaining defendants awaiting trial or considered fugitives.

The case was investigated by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, which includes agents from Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Summerville Police Department, the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office, the Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Charleston Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Peter T. Phillips of the Charleston office is prosecuting the case.