Orlando man sentenced to more than 10 years for cocaine trafficking

Tampa, Fla. — An Orlando man was sentenced Friday to ten years and one month in federal prison for conspiring with others to distribute cocaine. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) assisted the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation in the investigation. Other supporting agencies were the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Clearwater Police Department, and the Lee County Sheriff's Office, as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.

"Working with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners is essential to improving the safety of our communities," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.

According to court documents and evidence presented at sentencing, Gerald Robinson, 41, of Orlando, was a kilogram-level cocaine distributor in the Orlando area. In 2010 and 2011, he distributed approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine. Robinson pleaded guilty May 30. Robinson's source of supply, Earl Hampton, was previously convicted as part of this investigation. He was sentenced to 30 years' imprisonment June 19, 2013.

The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation's illegal drug supply. The case was also investigated as part of ATF's Frontline Strategy.