Federal Judge Hands Down Stiff Sentence, Citing Prior Drug Trafficking Convictions
TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa man, Jose Pabon, has been sentenced to more than 21 years in federal prison for his role in a large-scale cocaine distribution conspiracy. The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday, follows Pabon’s guilty plea earlier this year.
According to court documents, Pabon, 45, was a key supplier in a drug trafficking operation that was the subject of an investigation by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The investigation began in July 2023, when an undercover officer started buying cocaine from Pabon’s co-defendant, Joseph White. Detectives soon identified Pabon and another individual, Daniel Vega Cabrera, as White’s sources of supply…