Al’Donta Easterling, 26, of Jacksonville, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana, along with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Easterling, a member of the Six Block street gang, now faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years and up to life in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
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The plea agreement revealed that Easterling was an armed distributor for a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating between California and Jacksonville from October 2022 through July 2024. Easterling and his co-conspirators regularly traveled to California to acquire large quantities of marijuana, which they smuggled back to Jacksonville via commercial flights or through the mail. Once in Jacksonville, they sold the drugs from short-term rental properties, while routinely carrying firearms to protect their operations and profits.